Sounds of English Worldwide - by Raymond Hickey (Paperback)

About the Book

"English is one of a small group of languages, to which Spanish, Portuguese also belong, which spread across the globe during the colonial period giving rise to many varieties overseas which form the focus of the present book. One can read this book for a number of reasons, e.g. to find out about different varieties of English, a very practical reason, or to learn more about phonology (sound systems) on the basis of variation in English. To accommodate both sets of potential readers, the book is divided into two parts. The first discusses general issues surrounding the study of varieties of English and change in the language while the second provides summaries of the main features of various varieties of English worldwide. This book is about pronunciation, that is about one level of language but which is intricately connected to the other levels: grammar, vocabulary and language use. Readers not acquainted with phonetics and with sound transcription should consult Appendixes C and D on this subject and use the glossary at the back of the book. To learn about lexical sets and how they are used in variety studies readers should consult Part I, Section 2 and Appendix D for more information"--

Book Synopsis

An in-depth exploration of the sound systems of varieties of English around the world, written by a renowned authority in the field

In Sounds of English Worldwide, Raymond Hickey delivers a rigorous overview of the sound systems of varieties of English throughout the world. Beginning with an overview of the history and contexts of global varieties of English, this book guides readers through the spread of English during the colonial era leading up to the present day. The second section of the book broadly considers developments in the English-speaking world, accounting for the factors that triggered regional changes and resulted in diverse scenarios for English, including language contact and shift, new dialect formation, and the use of English in non-anglophone contexts.

To assist students in learning how to approach the study of varieties of English, this valuable text addresses research questions of general interest to linguists and explores a variety of fieldwork methods commonly used by researchers in the area. This useful book offers:

• A thorough introduction to English today, including its geographical and social distribution, focusing on variation and change around the world
• Practical discussions of key changes in late modern English that determined the unique phonetic profile of different varieties of the language
• In-depth examination of present-day scenarios and how they might pan out in the future development of English, considering the many factors which may shape global forms of the language
• Includes useful summaries of varieties of English with a glossary and timeline, providing a quick reference of the key features of English around the world for students
• Considers research issues and methods to aid students in applying the material of the book to their own studies

Perfect for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, and researchers studying varieties of Englishes, Sounds of English Worldwide will earn a place in the libraries of linguists and students studying Englishes worldwide from a sociolinguistic perspective as well as langague contact, bilingualism, the rise of new varieties along with English phonetics and phonology more generally.

From the Back Cover

In Sounds of English Worldwide, Raymond Hickey delivers a rigorous overview of the sound systems of varieties of English throughout the world. Beginning with an overview of the history and contexts of global varieties of English, this book guides readers through the spread of English during the colonial era leading up to the present day. The second section of the book broadly considers developments in the English-speaking world, accounting for the factors that triggered regional changes and resulted in diverse scenarios for English, including language contact and shift, new dialect formation, and the use of English in non-anglophone contexts.

To assist students in learning how to approach the study of varieties of English, this valuable text addresses research questions of general interest to linguists and explores a variety of fieldwork methods commonly used by researchers in the area. This useful book offers practical discussions of key changes in late modern English that determined the unique phonetic profile of different varieties of the language along with in-depth examination of the many factors which may shape global forms of the language in the future.

Perfect for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, and researchers studying varieties of Englishes, Sounds of English Worldwide will earn a place in the libraries of linguists and students studying Englishes worldwide from a sociolinguistic perspective as well as language contact, bilingualism, the rise of new varieties along with English phonetics and phonology more generally.

About the Author

Raymond Hickey is Adjunct Professor at the University of Limerick and Emeritus Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Duisburg and Essen. He has researched varieties of English for over 30 years and has authored and edited several books on the subject, including A Dictionary of Varieties of English (Wiley Blackwell, 2014) and The Handbook of Language Contact, Second Edition (Wiley Blackwell, 2020).