Last update:
8 February 2010
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Germanic StandardizationsPast to Present
2003. vi, 480 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Hardbound
– In stock
978 90 272 1856 8 / EUR 130.00 978 1 58811 437 2 / USD 195.00
e-Book
– Available from e-book platforms
This volume presents a comparative, socio-historical study of the Germanic standard languages (Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, English, Faroese, Frisian, German, Icelandic, Low German, Luxemburgish, Norwegian, Scots, Swedish, Yiddish as well as the Caribbean and Pacific Creole languages). Each of the 16 orginal chapters systematically discusses central aspects of the standardization process, including dialect selection, codification, elaboration and diffusion of the standard norm across the speech community, as well as incipient processes of de-standardization and re-standardization. The strongly comparative orientation of the contributions allow for the identification of broad similarities as well as intriguing differences across a wide range of historically and socially diverse language histories. Two chapters by the editors provide an overview of the theoretical background and rationale of comparative standardization research, and outline directions for further research in the area. The volume will be of interest to language historians as well as sociolinguists in general.
Table of contents
“Deumert and Vandenbussche have prepared a very valuable comparative book...I was impressed by the scholarly quality and theoretical validity of most of the articles. The book has certainly accomplished its goals. it demonstrates that comparing many standard language histories according to a sole theoretical model is possible and gives important results.”
Giedrius Subacius, University of Illinois at Chicago, in Archivum Lithuanicum 6, 2004
“I am most impressed by the wealth of information on each language. This will provide new perspectives as well as consolidate existing knowledge on languages such as English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans and Swedish and also supply information on the less familiar languages such as Faroese, Letzebuergesch, Yiddish and the two Norwegian languages. This is a dense, informative and very satisfying book, one that is very enjoyable to read.”
“Ideally, the present volume can be used as a handbook on the modern history of the Germanic languages as well as a source for a comparative study of the standardization processes in these languages...The volume is very well edited and, thanks to the narrative character of most chapters, a pleasure to read...All in all, this is a superb and very useful book. Everybody working in the field of standardization and/or the modern history of the Germanic languages will profit from the synoptic character and the wealth of individual data assembled here. One begins to wonder indeed why such a book has not been published before.”
“Those interested in the Germanic languages will definitely find this volume enlightening.”
“The collection under review, which is very welcome in principle, provides an impressive survey, useful for readers who are normally knowledgeable only about a selection of the languages here treated.”
“This volume is well planned and executed, and makes good reading.”
Subject classification |
Linguistics