Toward the study of the roots of American English - the case of Salem Witchcraft Papers
Rados³aw Dylewski
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznañ
As early American English seems to be a topic of indisputable importance in English studies, the question rises why this issue has remained a virtually unexplored field until recently. Nonetheless, up to now, the study of the roots of this variety of English has preponderantly dealt with vocabulary and merely a few structural details (Kytö – Rissanen 1987). It has to be pointed out here that the majority of studies carried out hitherto have not made use of the wealth of linguistic material which can be found in the witnesses’ depositions and trial records at its fullness.
Although the Puritan society produced very few literary masterpieces, it left behind a substantial amount of documentary material of various sorts (fairly often reflecting the language of unlettered people), which can offer an adequate picture of the speech of the first Americans (Rissanen 1984: 419). In particular, verbatim trial records as well as witnesses depositions found in Salem Witchcraft Papers are exceedingly valuable and offer important material for the attempt to draw conclusions concerning the spoken expression of the descendants of seventeenth century American immigrants.
The present article focuses on the plausible advantages that can stem from the study of the interesting specimens of language found in the aforesaid trial records and witnesses’ depositions as well as ostensible pitfalls that the student of early American English might face while scrutinizing these documents.
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