Onomastics

Hough, C. (2017) Onomastics. In: Brinton, L. J. and Bergs, A. (eds.) The History of English: Volume 1: Historical Outlines from Sound to Text. Mouton de Gruyter: Berlin, pp. 185-199. ISBN 9783110525281 (doi: 10.1515/9783110525281-010)

Abstract

Names provide evidence for language history in two main respects: firstly, as regards lexical and semantic content when first coined; and secondly, as regards phonological and morphological development over the course of time. In neither respect is there widespread agreement as to the extent to which evidence from names can be extrapolated to other areas of language. On the one hand, both place-names and personal names testify to areas of vocabulary and registers of language sparsely represented in other sources; on the other, it is sometimes unclear whether these reflect ordinary language or a specialized onomastic usage. Factors pertaining to the formation and transmission of names are in some respects unique, and will be outlined in this chapter alongside a discussion of the main types of linguistic evidence preserved in the onomasticon.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hough, Professor Carole
• Authors: Hough, C.
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PE English
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Language and Linguistics
• Publisher: Mouton de Gruyter
• ISBN: 9783110525281