In search of Jane Austen : the language of the letters / Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tieken-Boon van Ostade, Ingrid.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Austen, Jane, 1775-1817--Language.

Austen, Jane.

Austen, Jane, 1775-1817. Correspondence--History and criticism.

English language--19th century--Style.

English language.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (297 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Jane Austen's private language is rarely studied, yet her letters are a linguistic goldmine. This sociolinguistic study analyses the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary of Jane Austen's letters - many of which were addressed to her sister, Cassandra - providing readers with a deeper understanding of Austen as an author.

Contents:

Cover ; CONTENTS ; PREFACE ; ABBREVIATIONS ; 1. Introduction; 1.1. Introduction; 1.2. The Language of the Letters ; 1.3. A Sociolinguistic Analysis ; 1.4. Jane Austen's Language ; 1.5. A Single-Author, Focussed Corpus ; 1.6. The Wider Perspective ; 2 . Letter-Writing; 2.1. Introduction ; 2.2. The Surviving Letters and Those that Were Lost ; 2.3. Letter-Writing Materials ; 2.4. The Postal System ; 2.5. Letter-Writing: A Social Activity ; 2.6. Being Dependent on the Post ; 3. A Social Network of Letter-Writers ; 3.1. Introduction ; 3.2. Jane Austen's Correspondents

3.3. Letter-Writing Formulas 3.3.1. An Index of Formality? ; 3.3.2. Opening Formulas ; 3.3.3. Closing Formulas ; 3.3.4. Dating and Signing Letters ; 3.4. The Correspondence Network and the Lost Letters ; 4. The Letters as a Corpus ; 4.1. Introduction ; 4.2. Types of Letters ; 4.3. Self-Corrections ; 4.4. Short Forms ; 4.5. Dashes and Capitalisation ; 4.6. Two Corpora for Analysis ; 5. The Language of the Letters: Spelling ; 5.1. Introduction ; 5.2. A Dual Spelling System ; 5.3. Epistolary Spelling ; 5.3.1. Tho' and Thro' ; 5.3.2. Older Spellings ; 5.3.3. Other Epistolary Spelling Features

5.4. More Variable Spelling Features 5.5. Problems with the Apostrophe ; 5.6. Spelling as Evidence of Pronunciation ; 5.7. A Consistent if Idiosyncratic Speller ; 6. The Language of the Letters: Words ; 6.1. Introduction ; 6.2. Jane Austen in the Oxford English Dictionary ; 6.3. Creative Language Use ; 6.4. Vulgar Words and Intensifiers ; 6.5. Linguistic Involvement ; 6.6. Referring to Close Relatives ; 6.7. Jane Austen's Linguistic Fingerprint? ; 7. The Language of the Letters: Grammar ; 7.1. Introduction ; 7.2. Developing Grammatical Awareness ; 7.3. Variable Grammar

7.4. Verbal -ing Forms 7.5. Changing Grammar ; 8. Authorial Identity ; 8.1. Introduction ; 8.2. The Discarded Persuasion Chapters ; 8.3. Different House Styles for Mansfield Park? ; 8.4. Dating The Watsons ; 8.5. Why Analysing Spelling Matters ; 9. Conclusion ; Appendix 1. LETTERS REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT ; Appendix 2. LETTERS (SENT AND RECEIVED) REFERRED TO BY JANE AUSTEN ; Appendix 3. TRANSCRIPTION OF LETTER 139 ; Appendix 4. JANE AUSTEN'S EPISTOLARY NETWORK ; REFERENCES ; INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-994511-X

0-19-994512-8

OCLC:

922972992