
Social Networks and Historical Sociolinguistics: Studies in Morphosyntactic Variation in the Paston Letters (1421-1503)
by Alexander Bergs
Title:
Social Networks and Historical Sociolinguistics: Studies in Morphosyntactic Variation in the Paston Letters (1421-1503)
Author:
Alexander Bergs
Series (if any):
Topics in English Linguistics [TiEL]
Format:
Hardback
Number of pages:
330 pages, 56 Illustrations, black and white; 99 Tables, black and white
Publisher:
De Gruyter
ISBN-13:
9783110183108
EAN:
9783110183108
Classifications:
Linguistics
Weight (g):
766
Dimensions (mm):
164 x 243 x 24
Publication Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Condition:
New
Description
The author analyzes, from a historical sociolinguistic point of view, selected domains of morphosyntactic variation in a 250,000 word collection of the Middle English Paston Letters (1421-1503). In three case studies, two nominal and one verbal variable are described and discussed in detail: the replacement of Old English pronouns by borrowed pronouns, the introduction and spread of >wh-relativizers, and the spread and routinization of light verb constructions (take, make, give, have, do plus deverbal noun). While the author aims at a balanced integration of different approaches in sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, typology, and language change, the main focus is on social network theory and the role of the linguistic individual in the formation and change of linguistic structures.












