Title: A History of English Spelling
Series Title: Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language - Advanced
Publication Year: 2025

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
http://www.edinburghuniversitypress.com
Book URL: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-a-history-of-english-spelling.html

Author(s): Simon Horobin

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Abstract:

Popularly viewed as eccentric and illogical, dismissed by linguists as fixed and therefore uninteresting, English spelling is the Cinderella of modern linguistics. But it is a complex and fascinating subject. With a rich history of variation, English spelling has much to offer diachronic sociolinguists, while study of its history helps to explain many of today’s apparent irregularities. The story of its standardisation, beginning with the advent of the printing press, and the destandardisation currently being witnessed on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, offers new perspectives on how technology drives linguistic change, and reveals fascinating insights into the ways in which variable spelling is being repurposed today.

With plenty of exercises, worked examples throughout and a concluding chapter on how to create your own research project, Simon Horobin encourages you to delve into the rich and varied landscape of English spelling.

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
History of Linguistics
Language Documentation
Sociolinguistics

Written In: English (eng)