Nineteenth-century English
-
Anita Auer
Abstract
This paper focuses on language variation and change in nineteenth-century England. The first part of the paper is concerned with grammar writing and the influence that grammatical norms may have had on the English language. The second part of the paper takes a closer look at actual language usage. Throughout the paper particular attention is paid to language history ‘from below’, i.e. the linguistic situation of the lower social orders. For instance, the paper confirms, based on empirical data, that you was, a stigmatised feature in prescriptive grammars, was the dominant form in lower-class language usage. All in all, the paper also tries to show that nineteenth-century English still deserves a lot more scholarly attention.
Abstract
This paper focuses on language variation and change in nineteenth-century England. The first part of the paper is concerned with grammar writing and the influence that grammatical norms may have had on the English language. The second part of the paper takes a closer look at actual language usage. Throughout the paper particular attention is paid to language history ‘from below’, i.e. the linguistic situation of the lower social orders. For instance, the paper confirms, based on empirical data, that you was, a stigmatised feature in prescriptive grammars, was the dominant form in lower-class language usage. All in all, the paper also tries to show that nineteenth-century English still deserves a lot more scholarly attention.
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
-
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
