Figures of Speech: Six Histories of Language and Identity in the Age of Revolutions Contributor(s): Cassedy, Tim (Author) |
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ISBN: 1609386124 ISBN-13: 9781609386122 Publisher: University of Iowa Press OUR PRICE: $38.00 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 2019 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - General - Language Arts & Disciplines | Alphabets & Writing Systems |
Dewey: 427 |
LCCN: 2018013979 |
Series: Impressions |
Physical Information: 1" H x 6.1" W x 9.2" (1.25 lbs) 296 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Tim Cassedy's fascinating study examines the role that language played at the turn of the nineteenth century as a marker of one's identity. During this time of revolution (U.S., French, and Haitian) and globalization, language served as a way to categorize people within a world that appeared more diverse than ever. Linguistic differences, especially among English-speakers, seemed to validate the emerging national, racial, local, and regional identity categories that took shape in this new world order. Focusing on six eccentric characters of the time--from the woman known as "Princess Caraboo" to wordsmith Noah Webster--Cassedy shows how each put language at the center of their identities and lived out the possibilities of their era's linguistic ideas. The result is a highly entertaining and equally informative look at how perceptions about who spoke what language--and how they spoke it--determined the shape of communities in the British American colonies and beyond. This engagingly written story is sure to appeal to historians of literature, culture, and communication; to linguists and book historians; and to general readers interested in how ideas about English developed in the early United States and throughout the English-speaking world. |