Roots of English
Exploring the History of Dialects

A groundbreaking account of the linguistic features of four English dialects and their wider implications for English's development.

Sali A. Tagliamonte (Author)

9780521681896, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 October 2012

266 pages, 54 b/w illus. 2 maps 19 tables
22.7 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.43 kg

'… will serve as a useful resource not only for researchers on variation and change in dialects of English but also for historical linguists working on the reconstruction of language history. Tagliamonte's coupling of the historical comparative method with variationist analysis is an exciting exemplification of what might be called 'historical sociolinguistics'.' James A. Walker, English Language and Linguistics

What is the explanation for the nature, character and evolution of the many different varieties of English in the world today? Which changes in the English language are the legacy of its origins and which are the product of novel influences in the places to which it was transported? Roots of English is a groundbreaking investigation into four dialects from parts of northern Britain out of which came the founding populations of many regions in other parts of the world. Sali Tagliamonte comprehensively describes and analyses the key features of the dialects and their implications for subsequent developments of English. Her examination of dialect features contributes substantive evidence for assessing and understanding bigger issues in sociolinguistic theory. Based on exciting new findings, the book will appeal to those interested in dialects, from the Anglophile to the syntactician.

1. Introduction
2. Dialects as a window on the past
3. The 'Roots' archive
4. Methods for analysis
5. Word endings
6. Joining sentences
7. Time, necessity and possession
8. Expressions
9. Comparative sociolinguistics
10. The legacy of British and Irish dialects.

Subject Areas: Dialect, slang & jargon [CFFD], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Sociolinguistics [CFB]