The Development of Standard English 1300 1800

This book traces the development of Standard English revealing a complex and intriguing history that challenges the usual textbook accounts. Leading scholars offer a wide-ranging analysis from theoretical discussions of the origin of dialects to detailed descriptions of the history of individual Standard English features. Ranging from Middle English to the Modern English period the volume concludes that Standard English had no one single ancestor dialect but is the cumulative result of generations of authoritative writing from many text types.