American English: an Introduction - Softcover

Zoltan Kovecses

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551112299 ISBN 13: 9781551112299

Publisher: Broadview Press, 1999

Synopsis

This book is a cultural-historical (rather than purely linguistic) introduction to American English. The first part consists of a general account of variation in American English. It offers concise but comprehensive coverage of such topics as the history of American English; regional, social and ethnic variation; variation in style (including slang); and British and American differences.

The second part of the book puts forward an account of how American English has developed into a dominant variety of the English language. It focuses on the ways in which intellectual traditions such as puritanism and republicanism, in shaping the American world view, have also contributed to the distinctiveness of American English.

About this title

Review

"American English is an admirable piece of work. It provides an informative and up-to-date survey of the variety of English spoken in the United States. The discussion of historical developments is excellent, the summaries of scholarship accurate and readable, and the many examples throughout the book (of regional variations, of business jargon, of American sex-talk, and of much else) are consistently illuminating." -- Donald Wesling, University of California, San Diego

About the Author

Zoltán Kövecses is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of American Studies at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary; his other books include Metaphor and Emotion (Cambridge University Press) and The Language of Love (Bucknell University Press).

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadview Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1551112299
• ISBN 13: 9781551112299
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 360