The Grammar of Empire in Eighteenth-Century British Writing - Paperback

This study explores the complex role of language as an instrument of empire in eighteenth-century British literature. Focusing on the relationship between England and one of its "Celtic colonies," Scotland, Janet Sorensen examines how the expansion of the British empire influenced the formation of a national standard English. The book demonstrates the ambivalence at the heart of British linguistic identity, moving from a close analysis of Scottish writers Alexander MacDonald, Adam Smith, Hugh Blair, and Tobias Smollett to a revised understanding of the language use of Samuel Johnson and Jane Austen.

• | Author: Janet Sorensen
• | Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• | Publication Date: Nov 03, 2005
• | Number of Pages: 332 pages
• | Binding: Paperback or Softback
• | ISBN-10: 0521021553
• | ISBN-13: 9780521021555