LINGUIST List 10.291

Mon Feb 22 1999

Books: Sociolinguistics

Editor for this issue: Scott Fults <scottlinguistlist.org>

Links to the websites of all LINGUIST's supporting publishers are available at the end of this issue.

Directory

Janet Spaulding, Sociolinguistics from Benjamins Publishing

Message 1: Sociolinguistics from Benjamins Publishing

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 11:18:40 -0500
From: Janet Spaulding <promotionbenjamins.com>
Subject: Sociolinguistics from Benjamins Publishing

FOCUS ON IRELAND Jeffrey L. Kallen (ed.) (Trinity College Dublin) 1997. xviii, 260 pp. Varieties of English Around the World, G21 US/ Canada: Hb: 1 55619 718 7 Price: USD $74.00 Rest of the World: Hb: 90 272 4879 6 Price: NLG: 148,--

Irish English is both the oldest overseas variety of English and, thanks to its co-existence with Irish Gaelic, one of the longest-documented examples of a contact-influenced language variety. The dual aspects of substratal influence and dialectal conservatism, together with the spread of this variety in the Irish diaspora and its use in literature, provide the main impetus for research into Irish English. This volume brings together 12 original papers which use a variety of methods to examine these aspects of English in Ireland. Following a historical introduction which looks critically at received views of language diffusion in Ireland, three papers directly address the role of the Irish-language substrate in Irish English. Detailed studies also describe non-standard syntax in Belfast, systems of dental and alveolar phonemic contrast, contemporary sound change in Galway, Irish English prosody, dialect wordlists, and the uses of Irish English, notably Ulster Scots, in contemporary literature. The North American perspective investigates the role of Irish English in Newfoundland, and examines a corpus of 8th-century documents which reflects the language brought to the United States in the early development of American English. The range of approaches and data included make this book relevant to all those interested in language contact, diffusion, change, and variation. Contributions by: Jeffrey L. Kallen; Terence Odlin; Markku Filppula; Donall P.O. Baoill; Alison Henry; Joan Rahilly; Roibeard O Hurdail; Alma Collins; Brigitte Van Ryckeghem; John M. Kirk; Sandra Clarke; Michael Montgomery.

INDIAN ENGLISH TEXT AND INTERPRETATION Raja Ram Mehrotra (Banaras Hindu University) 1997. x, 260 pp. Varieties of Eng. Around the World, T7 US/ Canada: Hb: 1 55619 720 9 Price: USD $45.00 Rest of the World: Hb: 90 272 4716 1 Price: NLG 90,--

Indian English, or rather, the forms of English used in India, have long been a topic of interest for laymen and scholars. For generations, the 'exotic' nature of the transplanted language was commented on and often ridiculed as a matter of unintentional humor. Only since the 1960's have the local forms of English been recognized for what they are -adaptations of the world language to local needs. These adaptations vary to an enormous degree depending on the speaker' (and writers') education and the uses they make of the language. The author was one of the first to see the need for a proper sociolinguistic description of the Indian situation and the forms and functions of English in this complex set up.

EVEN MORE ENGLISHES Manfred G\246rlach (University of Cologne) 1997. x, 260 pp. Varieties of English Around the World, G22 US/ Canada: Hb: 1 55619 719 5 Price: USD$ 59.00 Rest of the World: 90 272 4880 X Price: NLG 118,--

Even More Englishes comprises Manfred G\246rlach's more recent papers devoted to general problems of the world language and to individual varieties. The collection starts with principal questions as to what can rightly be regarded as 'English', looks at specific features of emigrant Englishes and the value of individual features as evidence for linguistic geography - and for linguistic jokes. The functional range of Scots is traced through its history, and the question is raised whether we are justified to speak of 'Celtic Englishes' in Britain and Ireland. Two papers investigate the forms and functions of the world language in two African states, South Africa and Nigeria. A survey of new dictionaries of varieties of English and a discussion of whether pidgin and creole languages need different types of dictionaries are followed by a documentation of the history of the author's projects in the field of English as a world language. Even More Englishes complements Englishes and More Englishes previously published in the Varieties of English Around the World book series.

John Benjamins web site: http://www.benjamins.com

If you buy one of these books please tell the publisher or author that you saw it advertised on the LINGUIST list.

The following contributing LINGUIST publishers have made their backlists available on the World Wide Web: