Alternative Histories of the English Language

the long version

This groundbreaking collection explores the beliefs and approaches to the history of English that do not make it into standard textbooks.Orthodox histories have presented a tunnel version of the history of the English language which is sociologically inadequate. In this book a range of leading international scholars show how this focus on standard English dialect is to the detriment of those which are non-standard or from other areas of the world. Presents a fuller and richer picture of the complexity of the history of English, and explains why English is the diverse world language it is today.