The importance of being Janus
-
Clive Upton
Abstract
It is well understood that boundaries between linguistic varieties are not solid, but rather that there are transition zones where competing variants merge almost imperceptibly into one another in both geographical and social space. Between northern and southern England there exists the populous region of the Midlands, inhabited by millions of people whose speech is a unique blend of northern, southern and regionally-specific features. Using data from a range of recent-historical and present-day surveys, this paper explores what we can divine of the uniqueness of speech in an area which is neither “northern” nor “southern”. It helps towards a better understanding of (especially geographical) linguistic transitions, so shedding light on the notion of the “dialect area”.
Abstract
It is well understood that boundaries between linguistic varieties are not solid, but rather that there are transition zones where competing variants merge almost imperceptibly into one another in both geographical and social space. Between northern and southern England there exists the populous region of the Midlands, inhabited by millions of people whose speech is a unique blend of northern, southern and regionally-specific features. Using data from a range of recent-historical and present-day surveys, this paper explores what we can divine of the uniqueness of speech in an area which is neither “northern” nor “southern”. It helps towards a better understanding of (especially geographical) linguistic transitions, so shedding light on the notion of the “dialect area”.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Introduction 1
-
Corpus linguistics today and tomorrow
- Can’t see the wood for the trees? 13
- Spelling variation in Middle English manuscripts 31
-
Aspects of language change
- The development of compound numerals in English Biblical translations 49
- The complements of causative make in Late Middle English 59
- The pragmaticalization and intensification of verily , truly and really 75
- Concept-driven semasiology and onomasiology of CLERGY 93
- ANGER and TĒNE in Middle English 109
-
Middle and Modern English case studies
- The subjunctive vs. modal auxiliaries 127
- Some notes on the distribution of the quantifier all in Middle English 141
- Interjections in Middle English 157
- Why and what in Early Modern English drama 177
- Colloquialization and not -contraction in nineteenth-century English 191
-
Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary and thereafter
- The complexity and diversity of the words in Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary 209
- Etymology in the English Dialect Dictionary 225
- Towards an understanding of Joseph Wright’s sources 241
- The importance of being Janus 257
- ... ging uns der ganze alte Dialektbegriff in eine Illusion auf 269
- Index 285
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Introduction 1
-
Corpus linguistics today and tomorrow
- Can’t see the wood for the trees? 13
- Spelling variation in Middle English manuscripts 31
-
Aspects of language change
- The development of compound numerals in English Biblical translations 49
- The complements of causative make in Late Middle English 59
- The pragmaticalization and intensification of verily , truly and really 75
- Concept-driven semasiology and onomasiology of CLERGY 93
- ANGER and TĒNE in Middle English 109
-
Middle and Modern English case studies
- The subjunctive vs. modal auxiliaries 127
- Some notes on the distribution of the quantifier all in Middle English 141
- Interjections in Middle English 157
- Why and what in Early Modern English drama 177
- Colloquialization and not -contraction in nineteenth-century English 191
-
Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary and thereafter
- The complexity and diversity of the words in Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary 209
- Etymology in the English Dialect Dictionary 225
- Towards an understanding of Joseph Wright’s sources 241
- The importance of being Janus 257
- ... ging uns der ganze alte Dialektbegriff in eine Illusion auf 269
- Index 285
