Description
This study explores the beliefs and approaches to the history of English that do not make it into standard textbooks. Orthodox histories have presented a version of the history of the English language which is sociologically inadequate. In this book a range of scholars show how this focus on standard English dialect is to the detriment of those which are non-standard or from other areas of the world.;The book reveals the range of possible narratives about how different varieties of Englishes may have emerged places emphasis on pragmatic, sociolinguistic and discourse-oriented aspects of English rather than the traditional grammar, vocabulary and phonology. It considers diverse topics including South African Indian English, Southern Hemisphere Englishes, Early Modern English women's writing, and politeness. Thus the contributors to this book explain the complexity of the language and why English is the diverse world language it is today. Review: 'This book is quite innovative. It seeks to promulgate, and rightly so, the history of nonstandard varieties of English as contributing to our overall knowledge of the development of the language ... I can recommend this publication for those interested in English as well as Englishes.' - Alan S. Kaye, Multilingua
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