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13 results

  • 4 - Norms and Rules in the History of Grammar: French and English Handbooks in the Seventeenth Century

  • from Part II - Norms and Margins: A Historical Perspective
  • Edited by Linda Pillière, Wilfrid Andrieu, Valérie Kerfelec, Diana Lewis
  • Book:
    Standardising English
    Published online:
    02 March 2018
    Print publication:
    15 March 2018, pp 65-88

  • Summary

    The chapter analyses the cohesive effects of grammatisation. As often stated the production of grammar books for the vernaculars was conducted through the Latin model. One of the often-overlooked implications of Extended Latin Grammar is the high degree of metalinguistic homogeneity characteristic of most European traditions. Not only does grammatical discourse play a role in the constitution of a standard language, it also implies different forms of normativity. The implications of the definition of good usage, the composition of grammar rules or the negociation with the framework of the Latin model are different. Mauger’s grammar (1651-1688) served as a basis as it describes both French and English. Adopting a contrastive approach and confronting Mauger’s production with contemporary grammars of English reveals a complex picture of the role of the Latin model. Grammatical discourse is thus more than a mirror of social power and the analysis of the set of grammars studied here highlights that the existence of a common metalinguistic norm enables comparative descriptions, signalling a will to perfect the adequacy between metalinguistic discourse and the system of the language.

Standardising English
  • Norms and Margins in the History of the English Language
  • Edited by Linda Pillière, Wilfrid Andrieu, Valérie Kerfelec, Diana Lewis
  • Published online:
    02 March 2018
    Print publication:
    15 March 2018
  • This path-breaking study of the standardisation of English goes well beyond the traditional prescriptivism versus descriptivism debate. It argues that the way norms are established and enforced is the result of a complex network of social factors and cannot be explained simply by appeals to power and hegemony. It brings together insights from leading researchers to re-centre the discussion on linguistic communities and language users. It examines the philosophy underlying the urge to standardise language, and takes a closer look at both well-known and lesser-known historical dictionaries, grammars and usage guides, demonstrating that they cannot be simply labelled as 'prescriptivist'. Drawing on rich empirical data and case studies, it shows how the norm continues to function in society, influencing and affecting language users even today.