Wow! eBook
The Morphology of English Dialects: Verb-Formation in Non-standard English
Author(s): Lieselotte Anderwald (Author)
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press
- Publication Date: 9 April 2009
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 240 pages
- ISBN-10: 0521884977
- ISBN-13: 9780521884976
Book Description
Where do dialects differ from Standard English, and why are they so remarkably resilient? This study argues that commonly used verbs that deviate from Standard English for the most part have a long pedigree. Analysing the language use of over 120 dialect speakers, Lieselotte Anderwald demonstrates that not only are speakers justified historically in using these verbs, systematically these non-standard forms actually make more sense. By constituting a simpler system, they are generally more economical than their Standard English counterparts. Drawing on data collected from the Freiburg English Dialect Corpus (FRED), this innovative and engaging study will be of great interest to students and researchers of English language and linguistics, morphology and syntax.
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
This book argues that, contrary to popular opinion, dialects do have a grammar, and that ‘non standard’ language often makes more sense.
About the Author
Lieselotte Anderwald is Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Kiel, Germany.
