The Cambridge Handbook of Historical Orthography

With contributions from a team of global scholars, this is the first handbook covering the rapidly-growing field of historical orthography.

Marco Condorelli (Edited by), Hanna Rutkowska (Edited by)

9781108487313, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 October 2023

838 pages
25 x 17.5 x 4.9 cm, 1.6 kg

'This Handbook is an excellent resource that fills a gap in the literature on writing systems research. It provides a range of chapters that will be of interest to scholars and students of writing systems and orthography, including key background information and innovative advances in the field.' Christine Schreyer, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of British Columbia

The study of orthography (spelling and writing systems), and its development over the history of language, is central to many areas of linguistic enquiry, offering insight into syntactic and morphological structures, phonology, typology, historical linguistics, literacy and reading, and the social and cultural context of language use. With contributions from a global team of scholars, this Handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of this rapidly developing field, tracing the development of historical orthography, with special emphasis on the last and present centuries. Chapters are split into five key thematic areas, with a focus throughout on the interplay between theory and practice. It also explores the methods used in studying historical orthography, and the principles involved in the development of a spelling system. Providing a critical assessment of the state of the art in the field, it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in writing systems and historical linguistics.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Historical orthography: purposes, ambitions and boundaries Marco Condorelli and Hanna Rutkowska
Part II. Structures and Theories: 2. Classifying and comparing early writing systems Amalia E. Gnanadesikan
3. Elements of writing systems Stefan Hartmann and Renata Szczepaniak
4. Orthographic conventionality Aurelija Tamošiūnaitė
5. Theoretical approaches to understanding writing systems Hanna Rutkowska
6. Grapholinguistics Vuk-Tadija Barbarić
7. Typologies of writing systems Terry Joyce
Part III. Organization and Development: 8. Comparative historical perspectives Per Ambrosiani and Elena Llamas-Pombo
9. Systems and idiosyncrasies Benjamin W. Fortson IV
10. Multilayeredness and multiaspectuality Justyna Rogos-Hebda
11. Adapting alphabetic writing systems Anetta Luto-Kamińska
12. Variation and change Michelle Waldispühl
13. What is spelling standardization? Marco Condorelli
Part IV. Empirical Approaches: 14. Studying epigraphic writing Katherine McDonald and Emmanuel Dupraz
15. Materiality of writing Giedrius Subačius
16. Data collection and interpretation Anja Voeste
17. Philological approaches Annina Seiler and Christine Wallis
18. Exploring orthographic distribution Javier Calle-Martín and Juan Lorente-Sánchez
19. Comparative and sociopragmatic methods Marija Lazar
20. Reconstructing a pre-historic writing system Ester Salgarella
Part V. Explanatory Discussions: 21. Scribes and scribal practices Peter J. Grund
22. Orthographic norms and authorities Carol Percy
23. Networks of practice across English and Dutch corpora Marco Condorelli and Chris De Wulf
24. Literacy and the singular history of Norwegian Agnete Nesse
25. Authorship and gender Mel Evans
26. Sociolinguistic variables in English orthography Juan Manuel Hernández-Campoy
27. Sociolinguistic implications of orthographic variation in French Sandrine Tailleur
28. Orthography and language contact Israel Sanz-Sánchez
29. Discourse and sociopolitical issues Laura Villa Galán
30. Transmission and diffusion Gijsbert Rutten, Iris Van de Voorde and Rik Vosters
31. Analogy and extension Yishai Neuman
Bibliography
Subject index
Name index.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK]