The standard language : theory, dogma, and sociocultural reality

Abstract

Standard languages' constitute a viable category of linguistic inquiry because all such systems--whatever their structural dissimilarities--have been re-shaped by a common 'standardization' process. Ch. 1 considers deep-rooted factors of conformity and prestige that underlie standardization. Ch. 2 places the process in its cultural-historical perspective, examining its interplay with more general aspects of acculturation and its development under Hellenic and Western civilization. The next six chapters detail the mechanisms of standardization. In Ch. 3, the structure of linguistic classificational categories--dialect, language, standard language--is subjected to a new theoretical paradigm: 'synecdoche', transformation of the part into the whole. Ch. 4 investigates the emergence of the 'synecdochic' dialect that is to form the basis of the standard. This dialect undergoes alterations in function (Ch. 5); form, manifested as opposing tendencies of 'elaboration' (Ch. 6) and 'control' (Ch. 7); and status (Ch. 8). The modifications by which standard-language status is attained do not occur in identical fashion with every language; rather, a limited range of variant processes may be delineated. Finally, Ch. 9 is a case study of linguistic variation subjected to standardization by French grammarians of the sixteenth century, when the threshold from Middle to Modern French was crossed.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 40 citations exist upstream.