Manx manuscript sermons, 1696–1863: language and historical context

Abstract

Approximately 650 manuscript sermons written and preached in Manx by the Anglican clergy of the Isle of Man survive from the period between 1696 and 1863, exceeding the number found in Irish and Scottish Gaelic combined. Most of the sermons have identifiable authors and contain precise dates and places of preaching, as well as details of re-use and adaptation, and are thus a rich source of information on the island’s social, religious and linguistic history. In linguistic terms, the texts shed new light on the evolution and standardization of Manx orthography, and on phonological and morphosyntactic variation and change. This article outlines the extent of the corpus and its linguistic value, as well as examining questions of composition, translation, and societal bilingualism and diglossia. The discussion draws particularly on a current project to transcribe the portion of the corpus predating the completion of the Manx Bible in 1772.