Barbarians and others
Some of the myths that are still active today have their roots at least in the twelfth century or even before. Some are universal. The first part of Chapter 5 argues that with the rise of the nation-state concept in the early nineteenth century, the discourse on English became the discourse of standard English relying on the central myth of linguistic homogeneity. This myth can be found in a crucial text in locating long-standing myths, Ranulph Higden's Polychronicon. The relevant passage of the Polychronicon is examined in detail, revealing a cluster of myths, from which other more modern myths have been derived, some of them more central to discourse on language and others more peripheral, but no less significant. The chapter ends with a summary of the myths dealt with in the book as a whole before the focus is set in Chapter 6 on myths of the nineteenth century.
Keywords: nation-state, linguistic homogeneity, language contact, central myths, peripheral myths
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