TY - BOOK ID - 7706182 TI - The Oxford handbook of world Englishes AU - Filppula, Markku AU - Klemola, Juhani AU - Sharma, Devyani PY - 2017 SN - 9780199777716 9780199985036 PB - Oxford : Oxford University Press, DB - UniCat KW - English language KW - Comparative linguistics KW - Dialectology KW - Germanic languages KW - Variation KW - Spoken English KW - History KW - Globalization UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:7706182 AB - As the most documented language in human history, English holds a unique key to unlocking some of the mysteries of that uniquely human endowment: language. Yet the field of World Englishes has remained somewhat marginal in linguistic theory and vice versa. This collection calls for more direct and mutually constructive engagement with current linguistic theories, questions, and methodologies. It aims to achieve this through a design that combines areal overviews, theoretical chapters, and case studies. The thirty-six chapters are divided into four thematic parts: Foundations, World Englishes and Linguistic Theory, Areal Profiles, and Case Studies. Part I sets out the complex history of the global spread of English, which has given rise to the extraordinary regional variation we see today. This is followed, in Part II, by chapters addressing the mutual relevance and importance of World Englishes and numerous theoretical subfields of Linguistics, ranging from phonology and syntax to sociolinguistics and language contact. Part III offers detailed accounts of the structure and social histories of specific varieties of English spoken across the globe, highlighting points of theoretical interest. The collection closes with a set of case studies that exemplify the type of analysis encouraged by the volume. As attention is focused on innovative work at the interface of dialect description and theoretical explanation, the book is more succinct in its treatment of applied themes, which are given complementary coverage in other works. ER -