Pub Date : 2020-07-18DOI: 10.1177/0075424220935967
Lucía Loureiro-Porto, Turo Hiltunen
“Democratization” and “gender-neutrality” are two concepts commonly used in recent studies on language variation. While both concepts link linguistic phenomena to sociocultural changes, the extent to which they overlap and/or interact has not been studied in detail. In particular, not much is known about how linguistic changes related to democratization and gender-neutrality spread across registers or varieties of English, as well as whether speakers are aware of the changes that are taking place. In this paper we review the main theoretical issues regarding these concepts and relate them to the main findings in the articles in this issue, all of which study lexical and grammatical variation from a corpus-based perspective. Taken together, they help unveil some of the conscious and unconscious mechanisms that operate at the interface between democratization and gender-neutrality.
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Pub Date : 2020-07-18DOI: 10.1177/0075424220938949
Laura L. Paterson
This paper focuses on the use of combined pronouns (s/he, his or her, him/her, etc.) as an example of late twentieth-century non-sexist language reform which had an overt democratizing aim. Within the scope of second-wave feminism, the use of combined pronouns increased the visibility of women in discourse by encouraging the use of feminine pronouns (she, her, hers) alongside masculine pronouns (he, him, his). Despite their promotion, however, the use of combined pronouns is relatively rare. This paper uses the LOB and Brown families of corpora to diachronically and synchronically study patterns in the use of combined pronouns in written American (AmE) and British English (BrE) from the 1930s to the early 2000s. The analysis not only determines what forms these patterns take, but questions whether combined pronouns are influenced by (a combination of) syntax and/or semantics, and questions whether combined pronouns are really democratic at all.
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Pub Date : 2020-06-01DOI: 10.1177/0075424220913611
R. Burdin
King, Brian W. 2014. Inverting virginity, abstinence, and conquest: Sexual agency and subjectivity in classroom conversation. Sexualities 17(3). 310-328. King, Brian W. 2016. Becoming the intelligible other: Speaking intersex bodies against the grain. Critical Discourse Studies 13(4). 359-378. King, Brian W. 2019. Communities of practice in language research: A critical introduction. London: Routledge. Martin, J. R. P. & R. R. White. 2005. The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
布莱恩·金，2014。颠倒童贞、禁欲与征服:课堂对话中的性代理与主体性。性取向17(3)。310 - 328。布莱恩·金，2016。成为可理解的他者:说双性人的身体不合常理。批评话语研究13(4)。359 - 378。布莱恩·金，2019。语言研究中的实践社群:批判性导论。伦敦:劳特利奇。马丁，J. R. P.和R. R.怀特，2005。评价语言:英语评价。贝辛斯托克:帕尔格雷夫·麦克米伦。
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Pub Date : 2020-06-01DOI: 10.1177/0075424220911070
Ulrike Stange
This article focuses on the X is so NP-construction in American English, as exemplified by “Holding grudges is so last century” (SOAP, As the World Turns, 2002). Drawing on the Corpus of American Soap Operas (Davies 2011-), the aim of this study is to provide an account of the distributional pattern of noun phrase modification with so, including preferences in modified noun phrase (NP) types and concomitant differences in the meaning of so. The analyses reveal that, in line with subjectification theory on intensification (Athanasiadou 2007), so is expanding its functional range from intensification to emphasis. The findings suggest a near-complementary distribution of these meanings, with intensifying so (‘very’) dominating in affirmative sentences (especially with object pronouns and names; “It’s so Star Trek”; SOAP, Days of Our Lives, 2004), and emphatic so (‘definitely’) in negated utterances (especially with pre-modified NPs, such as “It is so not a date”; SOAP, One Life to Live, 2007). Furthermore, intensifying uses of so are restricted to NPs that exhibit adjective-like characteristics and invite metonymic referencing (Gonzálvez-García 2014). So is attested almost exclusively with the copula be, which might hint at restrictions at work in this construction. With respect to the distribution of GenX so across the character groups, the scriptwriters attributed most utterances to (younger) women, in terms of both token frequency and dispersion within the group. This paper shows that the observations pertaining to language variation and change made for adjective intensification (“so good”) also apply to NP intensification (“so 2020”).
这篇文章的重点是美国英语中的X is so NP结构，例如“上个世纪怀恨在心”（SOAP，as the World Turns，2002）。根据《美国肥皂剧语料库》（Davies 2011-），本研究旨在说明so修饰名词短语的分布模式，包括修饰名词短语（NP）类型的偏好和so含义的伴随差异，它的功能范围也从强化扩展到强调。研究结果表明，这些含义的分布几乎是互补的，在肯定句中强化so（'very'）占主导地位（尤其是在宾语代词和名字中；“It’s so Star Trek”；SOAP，Days of Our Lives，2004），以及否定话语中的强调so（“definitely”）（尤其是预修饰的NP，如“It is so not a date”；SOAP，One Life to Live，2007）。此外，so的强化使用仅限于表现出形容词样特征并引起转喻引用的NP（Gonzálvez García，2014）。这几乎完全用copula be来证明，这可能暗示了在这种构造中工作的限制。关于X世代在角色群体中的分布，编剧们将大多数话语归因于（年轻）女性，无论是在群体内的象征性频率还是分散性。本文表明，对形容词强化（“so good”）的语言变异和变化的观察也适用于NP强化（“so2020”）。
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Pub Date : 2020-06-01DOI: 10.1177/0075424220924116
B. W. King
Bybee, Joan. 2010. Language, usage and cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fischer, Olga, Hendrik De Smet & Wim van der Wurff. 2017. A brief history of English syntax. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fonteyn, Lauren & George Walkden. 2019. Review of Fischer, De Smet & van der Wurff (2017), A brief history of English syntax. Journal of Historical Syntax 3(1). 1-12. Jucker, Andreas H. 2008. Historical Pragmatics. Language and Linguistics Compass 2(5). 894-906. Włodarczyk, Matylda. 2018. English Historical Linguistics: A textbook for the 21st century? Pragmatics. Reviews 6(1). 5-11.
比比，琼。2010。语言、用法和认知。剑桥：剑桥大学出版社。Fischer、Olga、Hendrik De Smet和Wim van der Wurff。2017。英语语法简史。剑桥：剑桥大学出版社。Fonteyn、Lauren和George Walkden。2019.Fischer，De Smet&van der Wurff评论（2017），英语句法简史。历史语法杂志3（1）。1-12.Jucker，Andreas H.2008。历史实用主义。语言语言学指南针2（5）。894-906。沃达尔奇克，马蒂尔达。2018.英语历史语言学：面向21世纪的教科书？实用主义。评论6（1）。5-11。
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Pub Date : 2020-04-27DOI: 10.1177/0075424220911067
Maciej Grabski
The present article looks at different patterns of adjectival postmodification in Old English. A detailed corpus analysis is performed, whose results are interpreted within the framework of Construction Grammar. This study contributes to previous research on the subject by using a large set of corpus data which pave the way for adopting a usage-based approach. The results indicate that the patterns analyzed fulfilled different functions, which in the framework adopted is grounds enough for assigning them to different conceptual categories, i.e., “constructions.” Further, I investigate the mutual relations between these constructions as well as the internal dynamics of their functions and development. The findings support the basic constructionist notion that language is most effectively described as a complex and dynamic network of interrelated constructions.
{"title":"Three Types of Old English Adjectival Postposition: A Corpus-Based Construction Grammar Approach","authors":"Maciej Grabski","doi":"10.1177/0075424220911067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0075424220911067","url":null,"abstract":"The present article looks at different patterns of adjectival postmodification in Old English. A detailed corpus analysis is performed, whose results are interpreted within the framework of Construction Grammar. This study contributes to previous research on the subject by using a large set of corpus data which pave the way for adopting a usage-based approach. The results indicate that the patterns analyzed fulfilled different functions, which in the framework adopted is grounds enough for assigning them to different conceptual categories, i.e., “constructions.” Further, I investigate the mutual relations between these constructions as well as the internal dynamics of their functions and development. The findings support the basic constructionist notion that language is most effectively described as a complex and dynamic network of interrelated constructions.","PeriodicalId":51803,"journal":{"name":"Journal of English Linguistics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0075424220911067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44702085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-24DOI: 10.1177/0075424220913087
Lauren Fonteyn
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Pub Date : 2020-04-23DOI: 10.1177/0075424220912455
Dilin Liu, Qiyang Mo
Using the theoretical constructs of “image schema” and “conceptual metaphor,” this study examines the use and historical development of on track and off track as a pair of metaphorical idioms in American English. Specifically, this article is concerned with usage patterns and semantic changes of the expressions over the past two centuries in three American English corpora. We study the semantic features of the subject nouns as the “trajectors” and the diverse verbs used with the on/off track metaphors in order to uncover the main cognitive mechanisms underlying the use of the two idioms. The results of the study delineate how the development of the metaphorical idiom pair was largely motivated by PATH/FORCE conceptual metaphors based on image schemas and licensed by the Event-Structure Complex Metaphor; this demonstrates the important role of image schemas and conceptual metaphor in language use and development. The results also reveal that, in using metaphors based on image schemas, speakers/writers may activate very specific embodied images, and that context influences the use of the metaphorical idiom pair. Our results also support findings from previous corpus-linguistic theory-guided corpus studies of lexical/syntactical constructions, confirming again the vitality of this research.
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Pub Date : 2020-02-07DOI: 10.1177/0075424219881487
Sali A. Tagliamonte, K. Pabst
This paper examines variation and change in the adjectives used to express “highly positive evaluation” in the varieties of English spoken in Toronto, Canada, and York, England. Building on earlier work on another semantic field, “strangeness,” we analyze over 4800 tokens and thirty-four different types, as in “That’s great” and “She’s awesome.” Our results show both similarities and differences between these two semantic fields. While individual forms in both fields tend to be popular for a long time, many forms fall in and out of favor. In the case of adjectives of highly positive evaluation, the adjectival set is particularly rich. Distributional analysis and statistical modeling of constraints on the major forms and their underlying social and linguistic correlates reveals that these changes are not progressing in parallel across varieties of English. There are robust linguistic patterns that suggest a systemic underlying explanation. New additions to this field arise in predicative position and as stand-alones, and in a later stage extend to attributive position. Finally, consistent with earlier findings on adjectives and (intensifying) adverbs, there are notable links to social trends and popular culture, affirming the link between open class categories and their sociolinguistic embedding.
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Pub Date : 2020-01-11DOI: 10.1177/0075424219896397
Charles Boberg
Previous research has shown that Canadian English displays a unique pattern of nativizing the stressed vowel of foreign words spelled with the letter , like lava, pasta, and spa, known as foreign (a), with more use of /æ/ (the trap vowel) and less use of /ah/ (the palm vowel) than American English. This paper analyzes one hundred examples of foreign (a), produced by sixty-one Canadian and thirty-one American English-speakers, in order to shed more light on this pattern and its current development. Acoustic analysis is used to determine whether each participant assigns each vowel to English /æ/, /ah/, or an intermediate category between /æ/ and /ah/. It reports that the Canadian pattern, though still distinct, is converging with the American pattern, in that Canadians now use slightly more /ah/ than /æ/; that men appear to lead this change but this is because they participate less than women do in the Short Front (Canadian) Vowel Shift; that intermediate vowel assignments are comparatively rare, suggesting that a new low-central vowel phoneme is not emerging; that the Canadian tendency toward American pronunciation is not well aligned with overt attitudes toward the United States and American English; and that the national differences in foreign (a) assignment result not from structural, phonological differences between the dialects so much as from a complex set of sociocultural factors.
{"title":"Foreign (a) in North American English: Variation and Change in Loan Phonology","authors":"Charles Boberg","doi":"10.1177/0075424219896397","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0075424219896397","url":null,"abstract":"Previous research has shown that Canadian English displays a unique pattern of nativizing the stressed vowel of foreign words spelled with the letter , like lava, pasta, and spa, known as foreign (a), with more use of /æ/ (the trap vowel) and less use of /ah/ (the palm vowel) than American English. This paper analyzes one hundred examples of foreign (a), produced by sixty-one Canadian and thirty-one American English-speakers, in order to shed more light on this pattern and its current development. Acoustic analysis is used to determine whether each participant assigns each vowel to English /æ/, /ah/, or an intermediate category between /æ/ and /ah/. It reports that the Canadian pattern, though still distinct, is converging with the American pattern, in that Canadians now use slightly more /ah/ than /æ/; that men appear to lead this change but this is because they participate less than women do in the Short Front (Canadian) Vowel Shift; that intermediate vowel assignments are comparatively rare, suggesting that a new low-central vowel phoneme is not emerging; that the Canadian tendency toward American pronunciation is not well aligned with overt attitudes toward the United States and American English; and that the national differences in foreign (a) assignment result not from structural, phonological differences between the dialects so much as from a complex set of sociocultural factors.","PeriodicalId":51803,"journal":{"name":"Journal of English Linguistics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0075424219896397","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46406431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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