The Mythologies of English

The conference will focus on the various mythologies that have framed the English language, both historically and today. These are the ideological and institutional structures that enable speakers to conceptualize the language itself and to process specific uses of it. They enable historiographic narratives that shape how the language and its uses are understood; whether or not they are true in some absolute sense, they necessarily reflect and further specific cultural expectations. Put another way, they constitute a horizon of expectations that give intellectual and social meaning to the language and how it functions. As such, they may relate to grammar, usage, the definition of dialects and other languages, speakers, domains, race, ethnicity, culture, nationhood, and morality.

Co-sponsored by ISLA, the Nanovic Institute, the Medieval Institute, and the Department of English.

Originally published at london.nd.edu.

Originally published at medieval.nd.edu.