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1 results

  • 3 - Orality in the History of English

  • from Part I - The Textual Record
  • Edited by Merja Kytö, Uppsala Universitet, Sweden, Erik Smitterberg, Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
  • Book:
    The New Cambridge History of the English Language
    Published online:
    18 October 2025
    Print publication:
    16 October 2025, pp 75-100

  • Summary

    In this chapter, I argue for the importance of two models in explorations of orality in the history of English: communicative immediacy and ‘oral/conversational diagnostics’, within the framework of oral vs. literate/production styles. Based on the two models, I identify certain (sub)registers and genres as reference points for assessing the nature of orality reflected in historical linguistic data. In addition, I use the major conclusions of the ‘bad’ data debate, foundational for historical pragmatics, as a springboard for a selective survey of research focused on interjections, speech acts, and specific discourse domains and genres such as wills, courtroom discourse and letters. Potential directions for future research and new data sources are also provided to indicate gaps in the coverage of historical oralities in English.