A Grammar of Shakespeare's Language

by Norman Blake

Overview

When you read Shakespeare or watch a performance of one of his plays, do you find yourself wondering what it was he actually meant? Do you consult modern editions of Shakespeare's plays only to find that your questions still remain unanswered?
A Grammar of Shakespeare's Language, the first comprehensive grammar of Shakespeare's language for over one hundred years, will help you find out exactly what Shakespeare meant.
Steering clear of linguistic jargon, Professor Blake provides a detailed analysis of Shakespeare's language. He includes accounts of the morphology and syntax of different parts of speech, as well as highlighting features such as concord, negation, repetition and ellipsis. He treats not only traditional features such as the make-up of clauses, but also how language is used in various forms of conversational exchange, such as forms of address, discourse markers, greetings and farewells. This book will help you to understand much that may have previously seemed difficult or incomprehensible, thus enhancing your enjoyment of his plays.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350318359
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	03/14/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
File size:	477 KB

About the Author

N.F. BLAKE was Chair of English Language at the University of Sheffield until his retirement in 1999. He is currently a Research Professor at De Montfort University, Leicester. He has written on many topics in English Language and his extensive output on Shakespeare includes The Language of Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
The Linguistic Background
The Noun Group
The Verb Group
Adverbials, Interjections, Conjunctions and Prepositions
Concord, Negation, Repetition, and Ellipsis
Clause Organisation and Sentence Types
Discourse Markers
Pragmatics
Conclusion
Bibliography.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

...a handy tool for all readers of Shakespeare, particularly those who find that a good deal of the editorial commentary generally offered fails to provide the kind of information on language which the reader really needs. One of the assets of this book is that, other than basic notions of traditional grammar, no previous linguistic knowledge is required, since the author provides definitions of linguistic categories and notions whenever possible. A Grammar of Shakespeare's Language doubles as a book to read from cover to cover and as a reference guide to particular language issues in the plays and poems.' - Clara Calvo, The European English Messenger

'A thorough and well-organized account which throws fresh light on many aspects of Shakespeare's language...a lucid and remarkably labout of discrimination and attention to detail ...a most important reference resource, which ought to be in the library of every serious Shakespearian.' - Brian Vickers, The Review of English Studies