Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume V
- General Preface
- Abbreviations
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Introduction to Volume V
- PART I The United States
- 1 Language Change and the History of American English
- 2 The Dialectology of Anglo-American English
- 3 The Roots and Development of New England English
- 4 The History of the Midland–Northern Boundary
- 5 The Spread of English Westwards
- 6 American English in the City: The Case of Pittsburgh
- 7 New York City and Baltimore
- 8 English in the Southern United States
- 9 Contact Forms of American English
- 10 The Roots of African American English
- 11 The Great Migration and Regional Variation in the Speech of African Americans
- 12 Rural African American English
- 13 Urban African American English
- 14 Puerto Rican English
- 15 The English of Americans of Mexican and Central American Heritage
- PART II Canada
- PART III The Caribbean
- Index
- References
2 - The Dialectology of Anglo-American English
from PART I - The United States
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2026
Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- The New Cambridge History of the English Language
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume V
- General Preface
- Abbreviations
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Introduction to Volume V
- PART I The United States
- 1 Language Change and the History of American English
- 2 The Dialectology of Anglo-American English
- 3 The Roots and Development of New England English
- 4 The History of the Midland–Northern Boundary
- 5 The Spread of English Westwards
- 6 American English in the City: The Case of Pittsburgh
- 7 New York City and Baltimore
- 8 English in the Southern United States
- 9 Contact Forms of American English
- 10 The Roots of African American English
- 11 The Great Migration and Regional Variation in the Speech of African Americans
- 12 Rural African American English
- 13 Urban African American English
- 14 Puerto Rican English
- 15 The English of Americans of Mexican and Central American Heritage
- PART II Canada
- PART III The Caribbean
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter presents an overview of dialectology that sheds light on the diachronic development of American English varieties. Key projects in US dialect study are considered in light of their historic roots, perspectives and goals; data collection methods; target populations; sampling methods; and linguistic features of focus. Also examined are various types of dialect maps, as well as the use of historic sources that have proven to be useful in tracing the history of dialect forms. The contribution of social dialectological studies is discussed as well, since in-depth surveys across social space have been shown to add to the understanding of how dialect forms develop and diffuse across time and geographic space. The chapter concludes with a discussion of developments in twenty-first-century American dialectology. Throughout, the chapter illustrates how different methods and data sources can be fruitfully brought together to solve the difficult problem of retracing historic pathways for inherently ephemeral spoken language forms.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The New Cambridge History of the English LanguageNorth America and the Caribbean, pp. 64 - 94Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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