Sociolinguistic Variation in Seventeenth-Century France
Author | : Wendy Ayres-Bennett |
Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
Total Pages | : 281 |
Release | : 2004-10-14 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781139453578 |
ISBN-13 | : 1139453572 |
Rating | : 4/5 (78 Downloads) |
Download or read book Sociolinguistic Variation in Seventeenth-Century France written by Wendy Ayres-Bennett and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-10-14 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a systematic study of sociolinguistic variation in seventeenth-century France. Drawing on a range of case studies, Wendy Ayres-Bennett makes available data about linguistic variation in this period, showing the wealth and variety of language usage at a time that is considered to be the most 'standardising' in the history of French. Variation is analysed in terms of the speaker's 'pre-verbal constitution' - such as gender, age and socio-economic status - or by the medium, register or genre used. As well as examining linguistic variation itself, the book also considers the fundamental methodological issues that are central to all socio-historical linguistic accounts and, more importantly, addresses the question of what the appropriate sources are for linguists taking a socio-historical approach. In each chapter, the case studies present a range of phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical issues, which pose different methodological questions for sociolinguists and historical linguists alike.