ALTERNATIVE HISTORIES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGEThis groundbreaking book deviates from the standard or "textbook" way of looking at the history of the English language. Emphasis is placed on a linguistic description of English in a much broader sense. A range of international contributors provide accounts of the histories of non-standard, non-British and non-American varieties. By approaching and including non-formal styles and registers, and the pragmatic and communicative aspects of English, it opens the door to unbiased consideration of such topics as South African Indian English,Southern Hemisphere Englishes, and Early Modern English women's writing. Watts' and Trudgill's collection shows how a focus on the history of standard English dialect is to the detriment of those which are from other areas of the world.February 2002: 288 ppHB: 0415233569: $80.00 £50.00PB: 0415233577: $25.95 £15.99Introduction: In the Year 2525, PETER TRUDGILL AND RICHARDWATTS PROLOGUE1. The Legitimate Language: Giving a History to English,Jim MilroyPART IIntroduction to Part I2. The History of the Lesser-known Varieties of English, PETERTRUDGILL3. 'North of Watford Gap': A Cultural History of NorthernEnglish (from 1700), KATIE WALES4. The History of Southern Hemisphere Englishes, ELIZABETHGORDON AND ANDREA SUDBURY5. 'Deformed in the Dialects': An Alternative History ofNon-standard English, SHANA POPLACK, GERARD VAN HERK ANDDAWN HARVIE6. Building a New English Dialect: South African IndianEnglish and the History of Englishes, RAJEND MESTHRIE7. The Story of Good and Bad English in the United States,DENNIS PRESTONPart IIIntroduction to Part II8. From Polite Language to Educated Language: TheReemergence of an Ideology, RICHARD J. WATTS9. Eloquence and Elegance: Ideals of Communicative Competence in Spoken English, SHARON MILLAR10. Women's Writings as Evidence for Linguistic Continuity and Change in Early Modern English, TERTTU NEVALAINEN11. Discourse Markers in Early Modern English, ANDREAS H.JUCKER12. Epilogue: Broadcasting the Nonstandard Message, DAVIDCRYSTALReferences