Cambridge Scholars Publishing Studies in Language Variation and Change 2: Shifts and Turns in the History of English

Product Description This collection of eleven essays traces the complex paths of change taken by the English language in its long history, from its Indo-European origins to the present day. Just like any other language, English is a complex system made up of several interconnected sub-systems – lexical, syntactical, phonological, morphological – and all of those sub-systems are subject to change, resulting in constant shifts and readjustments. Additionally, more than some other languages, English has a history marked by strong upheavals, particularly with the influence of Scandinavian and Romance languages in the Middle Ages. The contributions here consider all aspects of that complex history, with four of them taking a particular interest in the issues brought about by language contact with French and Latin. About the Author Elise Louviot is a Lecturer in English Linguistics at the University of Rheims, France. She is the editor of La Formule au Moyen Âge (2012) and the author of Direct Speech in Beowulf and Other Old English Narrative Poems (2016). She is a specialist of Old English poetry and her research interests include orality, pragmatic markers, tradition and formulas. Catherine Delesse, after receiving a PhD in Linguistics, has developed an interest in translation studies. She is currently Professor of Linguistics in Nancy, Université de Lorraine, France, and her research interests include historical syntax, the translation of comic strips and the text-image relation in comics. With Bertrand Richet, she wrote a book on the English translation of Asterix.