Language in the British Isles / edited by David Britain.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Britain, David, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sociolinguistics--British Isles.

Sociolinguistics.

British Isles--Languages.

British Isles.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 508 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The British Isles are home to a vast range of different spoken and signed languages and dialects. Language continues to evolve rapidly, in its diversity, in the number and the backgrounds of its speakers, and in the repercussions it has had for political and educational affairs. This book provides a comprehensive survey of the dominant languages and dialects used in the British Isles. Topics covered include the history of English; the relationship between Standard and Non-Standard Englishes; the major non-standard varieties spoken on the islands; and the history of multilingualism; and the educational and planning implications of linguistic diversity in the British Isles. Among the many dialects and languages surveyed by the volume are British Black English, Celtic languages, Chinese, Indian, European migrant languages, British Sign Language, and Anglo-Romani. Clear and accessible in its approach, it will be welcomed by students in sociolinguistics, English language, and dialectology, as well as anyone interested more generally in language within British society.

Contents:

The history of English / James Milroy

Standard and non-standard English / Paul Kerswill

Phonological variation in England / Paul Foulkes and Gerard Docherty

Grammatical variation in England / David Britain

Scottish English and Scots / Paul A. Johnston Jr.

Northern Irish English / Kevin McCafferty

Southern Irish English / Raymond Hickey

English in Wales / Robert Penhallurick

English on the Isle of Man / Andrew Hamer

English in the Channel Islands / Heinrich Ramisch

The history of the Celtic languages in the British Isles / Paul Russell

Gaelic / Kenneth MacKinnon

Irish / Pádraig Ó Riagáin

Welsh / Martin Ball

Multilingualism / Mark Gibson

Caribbean creoles and Black English / Mark Sebba

Indic languages / Mike Reynolds and Mahendra Verma

Chinese / Li Wei

European immigrant languages / Penelope Gardner-Chloros

Sign languages / Bencie Woll and Rachel Sutton-Spence

Channel Island French / Mari C. Jones

Angloromani / Peter Bakker and Donald Kenrick

Language policy and planning / Dennis Ager

Non-standard English and education / Ann Williams

Education and speakers of languages other than English / Ben Rampton, Roxy Harris and Constant Leung.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-139-80965-2

1-107-31596-4

1-107-31691-X

0-511-62078-0

1-107-32135-2

1-299-31870-3

1-107-31498-4

OCLC:

857364957