MA thesis by Cynthia Gordijn (Leiden University) on language standardisation in Early Modern Norwich

We are delighted that future academics are also interested in the Emerging Standards project. Recently, Cynthia Gordijn (Leiden University, NL) has successfully completed her MA thesis on Standardisation in Early Modern Norwich: A case-study of the third-person singular indicative present tense markers. You can read her MA thesis here: https://studenttheses.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/136281?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=4ef902ace10ae5231553&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=13

Many congratulations to Cynthia!!

Cynthia currently works as an ESL teacher in secondary education and at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands). At the same time, she studies English Language and Linguistics (educational MA programme) at Leiden University . Cynthia’s research interests lie in applied linguistics, (socio-)historical linguistics and second language acquisition.

She was first introduced to the EMST project during her studies at Leiden University and completed her MA thesis under the supervision of Moragh Gordon. Cynthia’s MA thesis focuses on the development of the third-person singular in the urban vernacular of the city of Norwich in the period c. 1500-1700. Norwich held an important role in the economic development of England resulting in many opportunities for language contact to arise. This particular study sheds light on the interplay between the three possible variants for the third person singular, as the zero variant is currently the most marked form in the Norwich dialect. As a result of this study, she became even more interested in (socio-)historical linguistics and is eager to pursue studies within this field in the future.