Broken English: Dialects and the Politics of Language in Renaissance Writings [Hardcover]

The English language in the Renaissance was in many ways a collection of competing Englishes. Paula Blank investigates the representation of alternative vernaculars - the dialects of early modern English - in both linguistic and literary works of the period. Blank argues that Renaissance authors such as Spenser, Shakespeare and Jonson helped to construct the idea of a national language, variously known as 'true' English or 'pure' English or the 'King's English', by distinguishing its dialects - and sometimes by creating those dialects themselves. Broken English reveals how the Renaissance 'invention' of dialect forged modern alliances of language and cultural authority. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Renaissance studies and Renaissance English literature. It will also make fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in the history of English language.The English language in the Renaissance was in many ways a collection of competing Englishes. Blank investigates the representation of alternative vernaculars in both linguistic and literary works of the time.List of figures, Acknowledgments, A note on the texts, INTRODUCTION, 1 THE RENAISSANCE DISCOVERY OF DIALECT, 2 THE THIEVES OF LANGUAGE, 3 REGIONS OF RENAISSANCE ENGLISH I: SOUTH OF THE BORDER, 4 REGIONS OF RENAISSANCE ENGLISH II: THE NORTH COUNTRY, 5 LANGUAGE, LAWS, AND BLOOD: THE KINGS ENGLISH AND HIS EMPIRE, Notes, Bibliography, IndexUS? 1996 Paula Blank