Evidence of language contact in the Parliament Rolls of Medieval England
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Beatrix Weber
Abstract
This paper investigates the interplay of Ausbau (Kloss 1952, 1978) and language contact in late medieval England in a particular area of discourse. The trilingual corpus of the Parliament Rolls of Medieval England (PROME), which forms the basis for the present analysis, is representative of the ‘macro-genre’ of legal and administrative texts. Within this area, specific discourse rules have been established in the course of time. As these rules may transcend language boundaries, we find them reflected in parallel linguistic structures such as constructions containing Lat. non obstante, Fr. nonobstant/nientcontresteant or Engl. notwithstanding. It is claimed that the English constructions imitate Latin and French models that have to be observed whenever legal texts are produced. For this type of genre-specific calquing I suggest the term Nachbau (‘reproduction’).
Abstract
This paper investigates the interplay of Ausbau (Kloss 1952, 1978) and language contact in late medieval England in a particular area of discourse. The trilingual corpus of the Parliament Rolls of Medieval England (PROME), which forms the basis for the present analysis, is representative of the ‘macro-genre’ of legal and administrative texts. Within this area, specific discourse rules have been established in the course of time. As these rules may transcend language boundaries, we find them reflected in parallel linguistic structures such as constructions containing Lat. non obstante, Fr. nonobstant/nientcontresteant or Engl. notwithstanding. It is claimed that the English constructions imitate Latin and French models that have to be observed whenever legal texts are produced. For this type of genre-specific calquing I suggest the term Nachbau (‘reproduction’).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
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Part I. Diachronic perspectives
- A tentative typology of translation-induced language change 11
- Travelling the paths of discourse traditions 45
- Evidence of language contact in the Parliament Rolls of Medieval England 71
- Translation-induced formulations of directives in Early Modern German cookbooks 87
- Battlefield victory 109
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Part II. Diachronic perspectives
- Between normalization and shining-through 135
- Linking constructions in English and German translated and original texts 163
- Features of writtenness transferred 183
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Part III. Synchronic perspectives
- Corporate rhetoric in English and Japanese business reports 209
- Assessing the impact of translations on English-German language contact 233
- The impact of English on Spanish-language media in the USA 257
- Revisiting a translation effect in an oral language 281
- Index 311
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Diachronic perspectives
- A tentative typology of translation-induced language change 11
- Travelling the paths of discourse traditions 45
- Evidence of language contact in the Parliament Rolls of Medieval England 71
- Translation-induced formulations of directives in Early Modern German cookbooks 87
- Battlefield victory 109
-
Part II. Diachronic perspectives
- Between normalization and shining-through 135
- Linking constructions in English and German translated and original texts 163
- Features of writtenness transferred 183
-
Part III. Synchronic perspectives
- Corporate rhetoric in English and Japanese business reports 209
- Assessing the impact of translations on English-German language contact 233
- The impact of English on Spanish-language media in the USA 257
- Revisiting a translation effect in an oral language 281
- Index 311
