The linguistic past in twelfth-century Britain / Sara Harris (University of Cambridge).

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harris, Sara, 1986- author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in medieval literature ; 100.

Cambridge studies in medieval literature ; 100

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Middle English, 1100-1500.

English language.

English language--Middle English.

English language--Middle English, 1100-1500--Discourse analysis.

English language--Middle English, 1100-1500--Texts.

Language and culture.

History.

Discourse analysis, Literary.

Discourse analysis.

England.

English language--Middle English, 1100-1500--Variation.

Discourse analysis--History.

Discourse analysis, Literary--History.

Language and culture--England--History--To 1500.

Historical linguistics.

Genre:

Texts.

Physical Description:

ix, 279 pages ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Linguistic past in 12th-century Britain

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Summary:

"How was the complex history of Britain's languages understood by twelfth-century authors? This book argues that the social, political and linguistic upheavals that occurred in the wake of the Norman Conquest intensified later interest in the historicity of languages. An atmosphere of enquiry fostered vernacular literature's prestige and led to a newfound sense of how ancient languages could be used to convey historical claims. The vernacular hence became an important site for the construction and memorialisation of dynastic, institutional and ethnic identities. This study demonstrates the breadth of interest in the linguistic past across different social groups and the striking variety of genre used to depict it, including romance, legal translation, history, poetry and hagiography. Through a series of detailed case studies, Sara Harris shows how specific works represent key aspects of the period's imaginative engagement with English, Brittonic, Latin and French language development"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Methods and motivations for studying the vernacular linguistic past

Perceptions of English linguistic and literary continuity

Explorations and appropriations of British linguistic history

The vernaculars of ancestral law: royal administration and linguistic authority

Placing French in multilingual Britain

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 180-269) and index.

ISBN:

9781107180055

1107180058

OCLC:

982092235