Studying dialect spelling in its own right
-
Göran Wolf
Abstract
This paper addresses the question of why historical linguistics should be interested in studying dialect spelling in its own right. It deduces a number of arguments in favour of that interest from a case study of the graphical representation of Ulster Scots in the past and present. Referring to a selection of findings from that case study and relating them to central issues of written language, the paper calls for a greater interest in the general structure and the historical development of vernacular written representations. Accordingly, it sketches a systematic framework and suggests basic research questions in support of diachronic (and synchronic) studies of what the paper delineates as “dialect graphy”.
Abstract
This paper addresses the question of why historical linguistics should be interested in studying dialect spelling in its own right. It deduces a number of arguments in favour of that interest from a case study of the graphical representation of Ulster Scots in the past and present. Referring to a selection of findings from that case study and relating them to central issues of written language, the paper calls for a greater interest in the general structure and the historical development of vernacular written representations. Accordingly, it sketches a systematic framework and suggests basic research questions in support of diachronic (and synchronic) studies of what the paper delineates as “dialect graphy”.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Linguistic norms and conventions 1
- Usage guides and the Age of Prescriptivism 1
- “Splendidly prejudiced” 29
- Paradigm shifts in 19th-century British grammar writing 49
- Promotional conventions on English title-pages up to 1550 73
- What can we learn from constructed speech errors? 99
- The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English 129
- Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts 149
- Pragmatic and formulaic uses of shall and will in Older Scots and Early Modern English official letter writing 167
- Studying dialect spelling in its own right 191
- Index 213
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Linguistic norms and conventions 1
- Usage guides and the Age of Prescriptivism 1
- “Splendidly prejudiced” 29
- Paradigm shifts in 19th-century British grammar writing 49
- Promotional conventions on English title-pages up to 1550 73
- What can we learn from constructed speech errors? 99
- The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English 129
- Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts 149
- Pragmatic and formulaic uses of shall and will in Older Scots and Early Modern English official letter writing 167
- Studying dialect spelling in its own right 191
- Index 213
