Nineteenth-Century English: Stability and Change

Description

This volume of Studies in English Language focuses on the nineteenth century, an important period of both stability and change for the English language. Through ten detailed case studies, it highlights the relationships between English, its users, and nineteenth-century society, looking particularly at gender differences and variation across genres. It also discusses major structural aspects of nineteenth-century English, such as nouns, verbs and adjectives, and Germanic vs. Romance vocabulary. Although the nineteenth century is often viewed as a relatively stable period in the development of the language, this volume shows the 1800s to be a time of significant change, some of which continued into the twentieth century. By making comparisons possible with both earlier and later periods, it makes an important contribution to our overall understanding of the history of the English language.

Merja Kyt Professor of English Language, Uppsala University. Mats Ryd is Professor Emeritus in English, Uppsala University. Erik Smitterberg is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in English Linguistics, Stockholm University.

"The general editor of the series, Merja Kyto, has produced yet another valuable volume, and it is as distinguished as the other titles. She is very much to be congratulated on the quality of work Cambridge has issued under her supervision." -Richard W. Bailey, The University of Michigan, Functions of Language