19.2739, Qs: Syntactic Changes in Late Modern English Fiction

[LINGUIST Network]

LINGUIST List: Vol-19-2739. Tue Sep 09 2008. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 19.2739, Qs: Syntactic Changes in Late Modern English Fiction

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>
 
Reviews: Randall Eggert, U of Utah  
         <reviews at linguistlist.org> 

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, 
and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Dan Parker <dan at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually
best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is
then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was
instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we
would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

In addition to posting a summary, we'd like to remind people that it
is usually a good idea to personally thank those individuals who have
taken the trouble to respond to the query.

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.

===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 08-Sep-2008
From: Cristiano Broccias < c.broccias at unige.it >
Subject: Syntactic Changes in Late Modern English Fiction

 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:51:09
From: Cristiano Broccias [c.broccias at unige.it]
Subject: Syntactic Changes in Late Modern English Fiction
E-mail this message to a friend:
http://linguistlist.org/issues/emailmessage/verification.cfm?iss=19-2739.html&submissionid=189439&topicid=8&msgnumber=1  


Dear Linguists,

Can you point us to any work on changes - if any - in narrative style in
English fiction writing in the Late Modern English Period (from
approximately the 17th century onwards)? Although we are currently focusing
on British English, information on either British or American English would
be useful.

We are especially interested in changes which are reflected in syntax (e.g.
word order, sentence length, coordination vs. subordination, etc.). We are
aware of Biber and collaborators' work on historical shifts in styles in
spoken and written registers, but as far as we can tell this does not give
much specific information on changes in narrative style in fiction. 

We will post a summary if we receive any answers.

Many thanks.

Cristiano Broccias (c.broccias at unige.it)
Nick Smith (N.Smith at salford.ac.uk) 

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
                     Ling & Literature
                     Syntax






-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-19-2739