Norms and usage in seventeenth-century English
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Terttu Nevalainen
Abstract
In the course of the seventeenth century English spelling became largely fixed in print, and technical and borrowed lexis continued to be codified in dictionaries. Although proposals for ‘improving’ the English language appeared towards the end of the century, contemporary grammar books did not prescribe usage. This chapter discusses these diverse processes, relating them to their advocates and comparing emergent norms with the information that we have on the changing patterns of actual usage. The chapter draws on the framework of language policy proposed by Spolsky (2012) in distinguishing between actual usage, language attitudes and language management. It illustrates how usage can give rise to value-laden norms, which may be imposed on language users through various channels and with varying success.
Abstract
In the course of the seventeenth century English spelling became largely fixed in print, and technical and borrowed lexis continued to be codified in dictionaries. Although proposals for ‘improving’ the English language appeared towards the end of the century, contemporary grammar books did not prescribe usage. This chapter discusses these diverse processes, relating them to their advocates and comparing emergent norms with the information that we have on the changing patterns of actual usage. The chapter draws on the framework of language policy proposed by Spolsky (2012) in distinguishing between actual usage, language attitudes and language management. It illustrates how usage can give rise to value-laden norms, which may be imposed on language users through various channels and with varying success.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- The interplay of language norms and usage patterns. Comparing the history of Dutch, English, French and German 1
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Dutch
- Language norms and language use in seventeenth-century Dutch 21
- Language norms and language use in eighteenth-century Dutch 49
- Norms and usage in nineteenth-century Southern Dutch 73
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English
- Norms and usage in seventeenth-century English 103
- Eighteenth-century English normative grammars and their readers 129
- Nineteenth-century English 151
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French
- From l’usage to le bon usage and back 173
- Jacques-Louis Ménétra and his experience of the langue d’oc 201
- From local to supra-local 223
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German
- Language description, prescription and usage in seventeenth-century German 251
- Standard German in the eighteenth century 277
- Prescriptive norms and norms of usage in nineteenth-century German 303
- Index 321
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- The interplay of language norms and usage patterns. Comparing the history of Dutch, English, French and German 1
-
Dutch
- Language norms and language use in seventeenth-century Dutch 21
- Language norms and language use in eighteenth-century Dutch 49
- Norms and usage in nineteenth-century Southern Dutch 73
-
English
- Norms and usage in seventeenth-century English 103
- Eighteenth-century English normative grammars and their readers 129
- Nineteenth-century English 151
-
French
- From l’usage to le bon usage and back 173
- Jacques-Louis Ménétra and his experience of the langue d’oc 201
- From local to supra-local 223
-
German
- Language description, prescription and usage in seventeenth-century German 251
- Standard German in the eighteenth century 277
- Prescriptive norms and norms of usage in nineteenth-century German 303
- Index 321
