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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

By
Peter Collins  and
Adam Smith
Edited by
Adam Smith  and
Peter Collins
Adam Smith
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Sydney
Peter Collins
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Sydney
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Summary

The combined aim of this volume is to highlight current research on variation and change in English usage around the world, and to celebrate the lifetime academic achievements of Pam Peters, whose groundbreaking work on English usage, World Englishes and corpus linguistics has informed the research of all the contributors to the book. Section 1 covers different approaches to the codification of English. It looks at the influence and stance of usage guides, including Peters’ own Cambridge Guide to English Usage (2004), as well as the status of national dictionaries as codifiers of varieties and the differing approaches of British and Australian Hansards to the standardising of parliamentary language. Section 2 features chapters on the diversification of standards of English driven by its use among communities with different language backgrounds. In Section 3, a series of case studies are presented that trace the emergence of new usage patterns across a variety of language contexts and media. The Epilogue focuses on the implications for the development of World English standards in light of the studies in Sections 2 and 3, while this Introduction aims to contextualise the issues relating to usage variation and codification raised by the chapters in Section 1. It will also aim to substantiate the leading role that Pam Peters has played and continues to play in the investigation of these issues.

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Worldwide Perspectives on English Usage
Into the Third Millennium
 , pp. 1 - 14
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026

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