Sammendrag
The present project forms part of the Middle English Grammar Project, a
large-scale undertaking that aims to produce an authoritative account of
Middle English (ca 1100-1500). The accounts that exist are badly outdated, and
an up-to-date description is needed. This project is concerned with Middle
English spelling and phonology: the transmission aspect of language.
The Middle English period is a formative one in the history of the English
language. Key issues to be addressed include the roles of Old Norwegian and
Danish in the development of English and the gradual evolution of the English
spelling system. However, the relevance of the Middle English materials goes
beyond the History of English itself. Because of the lack of a written
standard, these materials present a unique body of evidence for the general
study of linguistic variation and change, as well as for the study of language
contact and of written systems. Apart from its descriptive aims, it is hoped
that the study will make a substantial contribution to theoretical debates
within these areas.
A comprehensive, detailed study of Middle English linguistic variation in its
social and historical contexts has only become possible with the development
of information technology. The present study will thus be breaking new
ground. It builds upon the methodology developed by Profs. McIntosh, Samuels
and Benskin in connection with the Linguistic Atlas of Late Mediaeval English
(1986), combined with insights from variationist linguistics.
The Survey of Middle English transmission has been ongoing since 1998 at the
University of Glasgow and Stavanger University/UC. The NFR funding concerns
the Norwegian part of the Survey, which is responsible for the Western and
Northern parts of England. The project is closely linked with other
international surveys within English Historical Linguistics (esp. the
Edinburgh Historical Atlases projects) which today make the field a highly
dynamic and exciting one.
Vis fullstendig beskrivelse
Vitenskapelig sammendrag
The present project forms part of the Middle English Grammar Project, a
large-scale undertaking that aims to produce an authoritative account of
Middle English (ca 1100-1500). The accounts that exist are badly outdated, and
an up-to-date description is needed. This project is concerned with Middle
English spelling and phonology: the transmission aspect of language.
The Middle English period is a formative one in the history of the English
language. Key issues to be addressed include the roles of Old Norwegian and
Danish in the development of English and the gradual evolution of the English
spelling system. However, the relevance of the Middle English materials goes
beyond the History of English itself. Because of the lack of a written
standard, these materials present a unique body of evidence for the general
study of linguistic variation and change, as well as for the study of language
contact and of written systems. Apart from its descriptive aims, it is hoped
that the study will make a substantial contribution to theoretical debates
within these areas.
A comprehensive, detailed study of Middle English linguistic variation in its
social and historical contexts has only become possible with the development
of information technology. The present study will thus be breaking new
ground. It builds upon the methodology developed by Profs. McIntosh, Samuels
and Benskin in connection with the Linguistic Atlas of Late Mediaeval English
(1986), combined with insights from variationist linguistics.
The Survey of Middle English transmission has been ongoing since 1998 at the
University of Glasgow and Stavanger University/UC. The NFR funding concerns
the Norwegian part of the Survey, which is responsible for the Western and
Northern parts of England. The project is closely linked with other
international surveys within English Historical Linguistics (esp. the
Edinburgh Historical Atlases projects) which today make the field a highly
dynamic and exciting one.
Vis fullstendig beskrivelse