New-dialect formation in Canada

"This book details the development of eleven modal auxiliaries in late 18th- and 19th-century Canadian English in a framework of new-dialect formation. The study assesses features of the modal auxiliaries, tracing influences to British and American input varieties, parallel developments, or Canadian innovations. While the overall results are generally coherent with new-dialect formation theory, the Ontarian context suggests a number of adaptations to the current model."--Jacket.