“Divided by a common language”?
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Ulrich Busse
Abstract
The present study investigates the treatment of the term Americanism and its plural form in their generic sense in selected British and American reference works of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It concentrates on two special types of reference books, namely dictionaries of Americanisms and usage guides from both sides of the Atlantic. By analyzing whether the paraphrase or the labelling conveys a positive, a neutral, or a negative stance, the terms Americanism(s) serve as keywords for Anglo-American linguistic attitudes towards the “other” variety. Methodologically, the study combines socio-lexicography and meta-pragmatics; the results show a change in the relationship of the two varieties and also substantive differences in how the two types of reference book deal with the topic.
Abstract
The present study investigates the treatment of the term Americanism and its plural form in their generic sense in selected British and American reference works of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It concentrates on two special types of reference books, namely dictionaries of Americanisms and usage guides from both sides of the Atlantic. By analyzing whether the paraphrase or the labelling conveys a positive, a neutral, or a negative stance, the terms Americanism(s) serve as keywords for Anglo-American linguistic attitudes towards the “other” variety. Methodologically, the study combines socio-lexicography and meta-pragmatics; the results show a change in the relationship of the two varieties and also substantive differences in how the two types of reference book deal with the topic.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
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Part I. Phonology
- “A received pronunciation” 21
- The interplay of internal and external factors in varieties of English 43
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Part II. Morphosyntax
- The myth of American English gotten as a historical retention 67
- Changes affecting relative clauses in Late Modern English 91
- Diffusion of do 117
- A diachronic constructional analysis of locative alternation in English, with particular attention to load and spray 143
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Part III. Orthography, vocabulary and semantics
- In search of “the lexicographic stamp” 167
- “Divided by a common language”? 185
- Women writers in the 18th century 203
- Eighteenth-century French cuisine terms and their semantic integration in English 219
- Spelling normalisation of Late Modern English 243
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Part IV. Pragmatics and discourse
- A far from simple matter revisited 271
- What it means to describe speech 295
- Being Wilde 315
- “I am desired (…) to desire” 333
- Index 357
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Phonology
- “A received pronunciation” 21
- The interplay of internal and external factors in varieties of English 43
-
Part II. Morphosyntax
- The myth of American English gotten as a historical retention 67
- Changes affecting relative clauses in Late Modern English 91
- Diffusion of do 117
- A diachronic constructional analysis of locative alternation in English, with particular attention to load and spray 143
-
Part III. Orthography, vocabulary and semantics
- In search of “the lexicographic stamp” 167
- “Divided by a common language”? 185
- Women writers in the 18th century 203
- Eighteenth-century French cuisine terms and their semantic integration in English 219
- Spelling normalisation of Late Modern English 243
-
Part IV. Pragmatics and discourse
- A far from simple matter revisited 271
- What it means to describe speech 295
- Being Wilde 315
- “I am desired (…) to desire” 333
- Index 357
