S.T.
New member
- Joined
- May 18, 2011
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- Australia
- Current Location
- Australia
I'm writing a mini-review of a book on English Dialects by Walter Skeat. I'd appreciate suggestions on what improvements could be made to the opening paragraph:
"... He traces the fascinating story of each dialect from early medieval times to the twentieth century, explaining how local factors such as phonetic decay, and foreign influences such as Danish and later Norman French, helped to shape them."
But I'd prefer to incorporate it if possible.
Thanks in advance!
Sam
"In this masterpiece of philology, scholarly yet accessible, Walter Skeat (1835-1912) provides a biographical sketch of regional English. He traces the fascinating story of each dialect from early medieval times to the twentieth century, explaining how they were gradually shaped by local factors such as phonetic decay, together with foreign influences such as Danish, introduced through Viking invasions, and later Norman French, introduced following the Conquest of 1066."
Does the second sentence sound too crowded or imbalanced? If so I could just get rid of the extra information about Danish and French, like this:
"... He traces the fascinating story of each dialect from early medieval times to the twentieth century, explaining how local factors such as phonetic decay, and foreign influences such as Danish and later Norman French, helped to shape them."
Thanks in advance!
Sam