Shakespeare's Non-Standard English - (Student Shakespeare Library) by N F Blake (Paperback)

About the Book

Includes various types of non-standard and informal language, and lists the examples found in Shakespeare's works. These include dialect forms, colloquial forms, non-standard and variant forms, fashionable words, and puns.

Book Synopsis

Most scholarly attention on Shakespeare's vocabulary has been directed towards his enrichment of the language through borrowing words from other languages, and has thus concentrated on the more learned aspects of his vocabulary. However, the bulk of Shakespeare's output consists of plays, and to make these appear lifelike he needed to employ a collquial and informal style. This aspect of his work has been largely disregarded apart from his bawdy language. This dictionary includes all types of non-standard and informal language and lists all examples found in Shakespeare's works. These include dialect form, colloquial forms, non-standard and variant forms, fashionable words and puns. Norman Blake is Emeritus Professor of English at Sheffield University.

Review Quotes

"Blake's dictionary--with concise definitions, judiciously selected citations, and abbreviations marking forms 'found only in Shakespeare' and those 'first found in Shakespeare'--could not have been entrusted to a keener eye ... the Arden Dictionaries have made an enormous contribution. While each volume impresses the reader with Shakespeare's grasp of a particular topic--wide, deep, and, as experts in various fields have noted, accurate--it is impossible to view all of the dictionaries together and not come away with renewed awe at his commodious erudition." --Deborah T. Curren-Aquino, Shakespeare Quarterly

About the Author

Norman Blake is Emeritus Professor of English at Sheffield University, UK.