The English Language in Canada
Status, History and Comparative Analysis

Examines the current status, history and features of Canadian English, focusing on the 'standard' variety heard across the country today.

Charles Boberg (Author)

9780521874328, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 August 2010

292 pages, 23 b/w illus. 3 maps 45 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.62 kg

The English Language in Canada examines the current status, history and principal features of Canadian English, focusing on the 'standard' variety heard across the country today. The discussion of the status of Canadian English considers the number and distribution of its speakers, its relation to French and other Canadian languages and to American English, its status as the expressive medium of English Canadian culture and its treatment in previous research. The review of its history concentrates on the historical roots and patterns of English-speaking settlement that established Canadian English and influenced its character in each region of Canada. The analysis of its principal features compares the vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar of Canadian English to standard British and American English. Subsequent chapters examine variation and change in the vocabulary and pronunciation of Canadian English, while a final chapter briefly considers the future of Canadian English.

1. English in the Canadian context
2. The establishment and growth of Canada's English-speaking population
3. The principal features of Canadian English: a comparative view
4. Variation and change in the vocabulary of Canadian English
5. Variation and change in the phonetics of Canadian English
6. Summary and future directions.

Subject Areas: Sociolinguistics [CFB]