How English Became English: A Short History of a Global Language PDF
Preview How English Became English: A Short History of a Global Language
How English Became English How English Became English A Short History of a Global Language SIMON HOROBIN 1 3 GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford,OX26DP, UnitedKingdom OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford. ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship, andeducationbypublishingworldwide.Oxfordisaregisteredtrademarkof OxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountries ©SimonHorobin2016 Themoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenasserted FirstEditionpublishedin2016 Impression:1 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthe priorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermitted bylaw,bylicenceorundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereprographics rightsorganization.Enquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeofthe aboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,atthe addressabove Youmustnotcirculatethisworkinanyotherform andyoumustimposethissameconditiononanyacquirer PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyOxfordUniversityPress 198MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016,UnitedStatesofAmerica BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Dataavailable LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015952191 ISBN 978–0–19–875427–5 PrintedinGreatBritainby ClaysLtd,StIvesplc LinkstothirdpartywebsitesareprovidedbyOxfordingoodfaithand forinformationonly.Oxforddisclaimsanyresponsibilityforthematerials containedinanythirdpartywebsitereferencedinthiswork. ForJennifer,Lucy,Rachel,andFlorence CONTENTS Acknowledgements ix ListofIllustrations xi 1. WhatisEnglish? 1 2. Origins 14 3. Authorities 39 4. Standards 72 5. Varieties 99 6. GlobalEnglishes 131 7. WhyDoWeCare? 152 FurtherReading 167 Index 171 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IamverygratefultoAndreaKeeganwhocommissionedthis book and to anonymous reviewers for their incisive com- mentsonpreviousdrafts.IalsowishtothankJennyNugee, whoprovidedmuchhelpfulguidancethroughoutthewrit- ing process. I am grateful to the President and Fellows of MagdalenCollege,Oxford,forpermissiontoreproduceMS lat.105,andtoChristineFerdinandandJamesFishwickfor their assistance. This book has benefited from the insights andadviceofnumerousfriendsandcolleagues;inparticular IwishtothankDeborahCameron,whoreadtheentirebook indraftandmademanyhelpfulsuggestions,LyndaMuggle- stone, Charlotte Brewer, Jeremy Smith, David Crystal, Tim Machan,andSethLerer.Iamalsogratefultomystudents, especially Lucy Diver, Rosie Durkin, John Phipps, Molly Janz,AliceRichardson,LucRosenberg,JackSolloway,Alice Theobald, and Alice Troy-Donovan, for many fruitful dis- cussions of the issues raised here while I was writing this book. I alone remain responsible for the opinions and for anyinaccuraciesthatremain. ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1 ThefutureofEnglish?CartoonStock.com. 12 2 TheIndo-Europeanlanguagefamilytree. 16 3 AmanuscriptofBede’sHistoriaEcclesiastica GentisAnglorum.MagdalenCollege,Oxford, MSlat.105,f.99r.ThePresidentand FellowsofMagdalenCollege,Oxford. 22 4 Thelanguageofmedicine.CartoonStock.com. 34 5 Thegreengrocer’sapostrophe.DuncanCumming. 37 6 Theproblemofliterally.TheNewYorker, CondéNast. 44 7 Theultimateauthority?H.W.Fowler, ADictionaryofModernEnglishUsage(1926),titlepage. PublicDomain. 51 8 ListoftopsourcescitedintheOxfordEnglish Dictionary,3rdedition.OED.com. 59 9 Dialectmap:wordsusedtorefertoacow-shedin EnglandandWales.aNATCECTpublication,courtesy oftheUniversityofSheffield. 115 10 CalvinandHobbeson‘verbing’.Calvinand Hobbes©1993Watterson.Reprintedwith permissionofUniversalUclick.Allrightsreserved. 125 xi ListofIllustrations 11 Kachru’smodelofglobalEnglishes.PublicDomain. 139 12 AdvertisementinSinglish.PulaiUbin, Singapore.MichaelElleray/Wikimedia. 143 13 Fewerorless?TheNewYorker,CondéNast. 157 xii
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