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West Midlands English: Birmingham and the Black Country

Online ISBN:
9780748693900
Print ISBN:
9780748641697
Publisher:
Edinburgh University Press
Book

West Midlands English: Birmingham and the Black Country

Urszula Clark,
Urszula Clark
Aston University
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Published:
1 August 2013
Online ISBN:
9780748693900
Print ISBN:
9780748641697
Publisher:
Edinburgh University Press

Abstract

This book focuses on the closely allied yet differing linguistic varieties of Birmingham and its immediate neighbour to the west, the industrial heartland of the Black Country. Both of these areas rose to economic prominence and success during the Industrial Revolution, and both have suffered economically and socially as a result of post-war industrial decline. The industrial heritage of both areas has meant that tight-knit and socially homogeneous individual areas in each region have demonstrated in many respects little linguistic change over time, and have continued to exhibit linguistic features, especially morphological constructions, peculiar to, or now restricted to, these areas. At the same time, immigration from other areas of the British Isles over time, from Commonwealth countries and later from EU member states, together with increased social mobility, have meant that newly developing structures and more widespread UK linguistic phenomena have spread into these varieties. The book provides a clear description of the structure of the linguistic varieties spoken in the two areas.

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