Hough, C. , Dance, R., Durkin, P. and Pagan, H. (2023) Contact-induced lexical effects in Medieval English. In: Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Sylvester, L. (eds.) Medieval English in a Multilingual Context: Current Methodologies and Approaches. Series: New approaches to English historical linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, pp. 95-121. ISBN 9783031309465 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-30947-2_4)
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Publisher's URL: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-30947-2
Abstract
This overview chapter explores the roles of word studies in the investigation of multilingualism in medieval Britain. Drawing on a variety of research methods and resources, including insights from onomastics, etymology and lexicography, it introduces approaches to the collection, classification and analysis of lexical material. It surveys the complex evidence that word forms and meanings provide for contact, borrowing and diffusion in the medieval period, and discusses problems ranging from identification to periodisation and integration. The first of four main sections considers the evidence of place-names, and the challenges and opportunities that this palimpsest of historical languages offers for the investigation of medieval multilingualism. The second section turns to lexical borrowings, including the difficulties involved in identifying when material has been transferred between languages, focusing on the early Scandinavian influence on English. The third section considers the issues that arise from the documentary record, in particular the questions provoked by the use of dictionary dates of first attestation in historical work on English lexis, and what these dates actually represent. The final section continues the focus on lexicography, comparing how historical dictionaries have responded to multilingual texts (and especially the ‘borders’ between languages) in the light of the various issues raised in the preceding sections.
| Item Type: | Book Sections |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Hough, Professor Carole and Durkin, Dr Philip |
| Authors: | Hough, C., Dance, R., Durkin, P., and Pagan, H. |
| College/School: | College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Language and Linguistics |
| Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan |
| ISBN: | 9783031309465 |
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