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The historical lineage of Standard English has been a locus of scholarly research for over a century. And although the strong influence of the East Midlands dialect on Standard English has never been questioned, little agreement has been reached on how this dialect shaped the standardized language. This study takes a new approach to long-standing problems by recontextualizing the concept of a standard language in light of contemporary linguistic theory and through analyzing the vocalic sound systems of six texts that represent the East Midlands dialect from the early Old English period through 1250. Throughout the investigations into the separate texts, the problem of analyzing continuity between synchronic stages is emphasized, from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.

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9780820415826

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The Author: Willard Rusch received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana and is now assistant professor and co-chair of the English Department at the University of Southern Maine, where he teaches courses in both language and literature. The author of several papers and articles, he recently received a research grant to conduct primary research in England for a new book on English historical linguistics.

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