Governing the tongue

Description:

Governing the Tongue explains why the spoken word assumed such importance in the culture of early New England. Author Jane Kamensky re-examines such famous events as the Salem witch trials and the banishment of Anne Hutchinson - as well as the little-known words of unsung individuals - to expose the ever-present fear of what the Puritans called "sins of the tongue." But if New Englanders despised some kinds of speech, they cherished others. While they were enjoined to "govern" their tongues in daily life, laypeople were also told to lift up their voices "like a trumpet" when speaking to or of God. By placing speech at the heart of New England's early history, Kamensky develops new ideas about the relationship between language and power both in that place and time and, by extension, in our world today.

subjects: English language,  History,  Language,  Americanisms,  Religious aspects of English language,  Christianity,  Political aspects of English language,  Oral communication,  Language and culture,  Spoken English,  Puritans,  Dialects,  Languages,  Authorship,  Sex differences,  Women,  English language, political aspects,  New england, history, colonial period, ca. 1600-1775,  English language, early modern, 1500-1700,  English language, spoken english,  English language, history,  Political aspects,  Religious aspects

Places: New England

Times: 18th century