Corpus Interrogation and Grammatical Patterns

Corpus Interrogation and Grammatical Patterns
Author: Kristin Davidse
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2014-11-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027269742

The studies in this volume approach English grammatical patterns in novel ways by interrogating corpora, focusing on patterns in the verb phrase (tense, aspect and modality), the noun phrase (intensification and focus marking), complementation structures and clause combining. Some studies interrogate historical corpora to reconstruct the diachronic development of patterns such as light verb constructions, verb-particle combinations, the be a-verbing progressive and absolute constructions. Other studies analyse synchronic datasets to typify the functions in discourse of, amongst others, tag questions and it-clefts, or to elucidate some long-standing problems in the syntactic analysis of verbal or adjectival complementation patterns, thanks to the empirical detail only corpora can provide. The volume documents the practices that have been developed to guarantee optimal representativeness of corpus data, to formulate definitions of patterns that can be operationalized in extractions, and to build dimensions of variation such as text type and register into rich grammatical descriptions.

Cross-linguistic Correspondences

Cross-linguistic Correspondences
Author: Thomas Egan
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2017-11-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027264724

Contrastive Linguistics is an expanding field, as witnessed by the publication in recent years of an increasing number of monographs, collected volumes and journal articles. The present volume, which comprises an introduction and ten chapters dealing with lexical contrasts between English and other languages, shows advances within the well-established lexical work in the field. Each of the chapters takes lexical items as its starting point and compares English with one or more languages. The languages represented are Spanish, Lithuanian, Swedish, German, Norwegian and Czech. Furthermore, they emphasise the link between lexis and grammar, not only within the same language, but also across languages. Finally, several studies represent one of the more recent developments of contrastive linguistics, namely a growing focus on genre and register comparisons. The book should appeal to both established scholars and advanced students with an interest in lexis, genre, corpus linguistics and/or contrastive linguistics.

Corpus linguistics on the move

Corpus linguistics on the move
Author: María José López-Couso
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 389
Release: 2016-07-11
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9004321349

Honoured with the 2017 AESLA Research Award of the Spanish Association of Applied Linguistics. Corpus linguistics on the move: Exploring and understanding English through corpora comprises fourteen contributions by leading scholars in the field of English corpus linguistics, covering areas of central concern in corpus research and corpus methodology. The topics examined in the different chapters include issues related to corpus compilation and annotation, perspectives from specialized corpora, and studies on grammatical and pragmatic aspects of English, all these examined through a broad range of corpora, both synchronic and diachronic, representing both EFL and different native varieties of English worldwide. The volume will be of primary interest to students and researchers working on English corpus linguistics, but is also likely to have a wider general appeal. Contributors are: Bas Aarts, Siân Alsop, Anita Auer, Jill Bowie, Eduardo Coto-Villalibre, Pieter de Haan, Johan Elsness, Moragh Gordon, Hilde Hasselgård, Turo Hiltunen, Magnus Huber, Marianne Hundt, Mikko Laitinen, Martti Mäkinen, Beatriz Mato-Míguez, Mike Olson, Antoinette Renouf, and Bianca Widlitzki.

Corpus Linguistics, Context and Culture

Corpus Linguistics, Context and Culture
Author: Viola Wiegand
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 500
Release: 2019-11-18
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110489074

Corpus Linguistics, Context and Culture demonstrates the potential of corpus linguistic methods for investigating language patterns across a range of contexts. Organised in three sections, the chapters range from detailed case studies on lexico-grammatical patterns to fundamental discussions of meaning as part of the ‘discourse, contexts and cultures’ theme. The final part on ‘learner contexts’ specifically emphasises the need for mixed-method approaches and the consideration of pedagogical implications for real world contexts. Beyond its contribution to current debates in the field, this edited volume indicates new directions in cross-disciplinary work.

Changing Structures

Changing Structures
Author: Mark Kaunisto
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2018-05-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027264228

This book is a collection of eleven research articles which altogether serve as a contribution to the study of verb complementation and other constructions, an area of investigation which bridges observations on the spectrum of lexico-grammar, syntax, and semantics. In terms of methodological approaches and the types of linguistic patterns examined, the chapters cast light on the subject from a variety of perspectives, and the volume is structured in a way that groups the various perspectives under three main themes according to their main focus and/or methodological approaches, namely: the semantic and functional descriptions of constructions; the investigation into the distribution of complementation patterns; and the study of innovative patterns in ESL contexts and languages other than English. All chapters in this volume employ data from large electronic corpora where possible – the BNC, COCA, COHA, GloWbE, NOW, and newly compiled corpora representing regional varieties of English.

Corpus-Based Studies on Non-Finite Complements in Recent English

Corpus-Based Studies on Non-Finite Complements in Recent English
Author: Paul Rickman
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 117
Release: 2018-02-19
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3319729896

This book showcases fresh research into the underexplored territory of complementation through a detailed analysis of gerunds and ‘to’ infinitives involving control in English. Drawing on large electronic corpora of recent English, it examines subject control in adjectival predicate constructions with ‘scared’, ‘terrified’ and ‘afraid’, moving on to a study of object control with the verbal predicate ‘warn’. In each chapter a case study is presented of a matrix adjective that selects both infinitival and gerundial complements, and a central theme is the application of the Choice Principle as a novel factor bearing on complement selection. The authors argue that it is helpful to view the patterns in question as constructions, as combinations of form and meaning, within the system of English predicate complementation, and convincingly demonstrate how a new gerundial pattern has emerged and spread in the course of the last two centuries. This book will appeal to scholars of semantics, corpus linguistics, and historical linguistics as well as those with an interest in variation and change in recent English more generally.

Infinitival vs Gerundial Complementation with Afraid, Accustomed, and Prone

Infinitival vs Gerundial Complementation with Afraid, Accustomed, and Prone
Author: Juho Ruohonen
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2020-11-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3030567583

This book explores the concept of complementation in the adjectival domain of English grammar. Alternation between non-finite complements, especially to infinitives and gerundial complements, has been investigated intensively on the basis of large corpora in the last few years. With very few exceptions, however, such work has hitherto been based on univariate analysis methods. Using multivariate analysis, the authors present methodologically innovative case studies examining a large array of explanatory factors potentially impacting complement choice in cases of alternation. This approach yields more precise information on the impact of each factor on complement choice as well as on interactions between different explanatory factors. The book thus presents a methodologically new perspective on the study of the system of non-finite complementation in recent English and variation within that system, and will be relevant to academics and students with an interest in English grammar, predicate complementation, and statistical approaches to language.

Explorations in English Historical Syntax

Explorations in English Historical Syntax
Author: Hubert Cuyckens
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2018-08-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027263841

The papers in this volume cover a wide range of interrelated syntactic phenomena, from the history of core arguments, to complements and non-finite clauses, elements in the clause periphery, as well as elements with potential scope over complete sentences and even larger discourse chunks. In one way or another, however, they all testify to an increasing awareness that even some of the most central phenomena of syntax – and the way they develop over time – are best understood by taking into account their communicative functions and the way they are processed and represented by speakers’ cognitive apparatus. In doing so, they show that historical syntax, and historical linguistics in general, is witnessing a convergence between formerly distinct linguistic frameworks and traditions. With this fusion of traditions, the trend is undeniably towards a richer and more broadly informed understanding of syntactic change and the history of English. This volume will be of great interest to scholars of (English) historical syntax and historical linguistics within the cognitive-linguistic as well as the generative tradition.

The Handbook of Advanced Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition

The Handbook of Advanced Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition
Author: Paul A. Malovrh
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 608
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1119261627

A comprehensive, current review of the research and approaches to advanced proficiency in second language acquisition The Handbook of Advanced Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition offers an overview of the most recent and scientific-based research concerning higher proficiency in second language acquisition (SLA). With contributions from an international team of experts in the field, the Handbook presents several theoretical approaches to SLA and offers an examination of advanced proficiency from the viewpoint of various contexts and dimensions of second language performance. The authors also review linguistic phenomena among advanced learners through the lens of phonology and grammar development. Comprehensive in scope, this book provides an overview of advanced proficiency grounded in socially-relevant domains of second language acquisition including discourse, reading, genre-based writing, and pragmatic competence. The authoritative volume brings together the theoretical accounts of advanced language use combined with solid empirical research. Includes contributions from an international collection of noted scholars in the field of second language acquisition Offers a variety of theoretical approaches to SLA Contains information on the most recent empirical research that contributes to an understanding of SLA Describes performance phenomena according to multiple approaches to SLA Written for scholars, students and linguists, The Handbook of Advanced Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition is a comprehensive text that offers the most recent developments in the study of advanced proficiency in the acquisition of a second language.

Changing English

Changing English
Author: Markku Filppula
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2017-10-10
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110429764

This book examines the special nature of English both as a global and a local language, focusing on some of the ongoing changes and on the emerging new structural and discoursal characteristics of varieties of English. Although it is widely recognised that processes of language change and contact bear affinities, for example, to processes observable in second-language acquisition and lingua franca use, the research into these fields has so far not been sufficiently brought into contact with each other. The articles in this volume set out to combine all these perspectives in ways that give us a better understanding of the changing nature of English in the modern world.