Creating Canadian English : The Professor, the Mountaineer, and a National Variety of English

This lively account of the making of Canadian English traces the variety's conceptual, social and linguistic developments from the twentieth century to the present. Revealing the hard work, persistence and sheer luck required in codifying a standard variety, this archive-based book highlights both long-forgotten linguists and linguistic fashions alike.

This lively account of the making of Canadian English traces the variety''s conceptual, social and linguistic developments from the twentieth century to the present. This book is not just another history of Canadian English; it is a history of the variety''s discovery, codification, and eventual acceptance, as well as the contribution of the linguists behind it. Written by an active research linguist focusing on Canadian English, this book is an archive-based biography on multiple levels. Through a combination of new data and re-interpretations of existing studies, a new voice is given to earlier generations of Canadian linguists who, generally forgotten today, shaped the variety and how we think about it. Exploring topics such as linguistic description and codification, dictionary making, linguistic imperialism, linguistic attitudes, language and Canadian identity, or the threat of Americanisation, Dollinger presents a coherent, integrated and balanced account of developments spanning over almost a century.