scholarly journals Finding variants for construction-based dialectometry: A corpus-based approach to regional CxGs

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Functional Space ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Grammar Induction ◽  
Functional Level ◽  
Central Idea ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
High Degree

AbstractThis paper develops a construction-based dialectometry capable of identifying previously unknown constructions and measuring the degree to which a given construction is subject to regional variation. The central idea is to learn a grammar of constructions (a CxG) using construction grammar induction and then to use these constructions as features for dialectometry. This offers a method for measuring the aggregate similarity between regional CxGs without limiting in advance the set of constructions subject to variation. The learned CxG is evaluated on how well it describes held-out test corpora while dialectometry is evaluated on how well it can model regional varieties of English. The method is tested using two distinct datasets: First, the International Corpus of English representing eight outer circle varieties; Second, a web-crawled corpus representing five inner circle varieties. Results show that the method (1) produces a grammar with stable quality across sub-sets of a single corpus that is (2) capable of distinguishing between regional varieties of English with a high degree of accuracy, thus (3) supporting dialectometric methods for measuring the similarity between varieties of English and (4) measuring the degree to which each construction is subject to regional variation. This is important for cognitive sociolinguistics because it operationalizes the idea that competition between constructions is organized at the functional level so that dialectometry needs to represent as much of the available functional space as possible.

Hypercorrection in English: an intervarietal corpus-based study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
PETER COLLINS
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Web Based ◽  
British English ◽  
Incorrect Result ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Elicitation Studies

This article aims to provide a fresh approach to the study of hypercorrection, the misguided application of a real or imagined rule – typically in response to prescriptive pressure – in which the speaker's attempt to be ‘correct’ leads to an ‘incorrect’ result. Instead of more familiar sources of information on hypercorrection such as attitude elicitation studies and prescriptive commentary, insights are sought from quantitative and qualitative data extracted from the 2-billion-word Global Web-based English corpus (GloWbE; Davies 2013). Five categories are investigated: case-marked pronouns, -ly and non-ly adverbs, agreement with number-transparent nouns, (extended uses of) irrealis were, and ‘hyperforeign’ noun suffixation. The nature and extent of hypercorrection in these categories, across the twenty English varieties represented in GloWbE, are investigated and discussed. Findings include a tendency for hypercorrection to be more common in American than in British English, and more prevalent in the ‘Inner Circle’ (IC) than in the ‘Outer Circle’ (OC) varieties (particularly with established constructions which have been the target of institutionalised prescriptive commentary over a long period of time).

A rose by any other name? Learner English and variety–status labelling: the case of English in South Korea

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Jung Song
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
American English ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Indian English ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
British English ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
The Face ◽  
Inner Circle

One of the major achievements of Braj Kachru's (1991) ‘liberation linguistics’ is that it has squarely placed Outer Circle varieties such as Indian English, Nigerian English and Singaporean English on a par with Inner Circle varieties such as American English and British English – in the face of negative attitudes, ranging ‘from amused condescension to racist stereotyping’ (Bruthiaux, 2003: 160). Following in Kachru's footsteps, many scholars have demonstrated that these Outer Circle Englishes are legitimate varieties of English, with distinct characteristics and with growing numbers of native speakers (e.g. Deterding, 2007; Jowitt, 1991; Sailaja, 2009). Indeed these Outer Circle English varieties are increasingly used, in respective countries, not only as the major or default medium of communication but also in the context of important domains such as education, media, government, literature and popular culture. The Kachruvian perspective has also given rise to the ‘egalitarian’ view that Inner Circle English speakers are no longer the only ones who can lay claim to the ownership of English. Outer Circle English speakers are now thought to be as much custodians of English as Inner Circle English speakers are.

The polemics of Singlish

English Today ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee-Wong Song Mei
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Linguistic Ideology ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
And Function

An examination of the culture, identity and function of English in Singapore.The widespread use of English in Singapore has placed Singapore in the Outer Circle, along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Nigeria, the Philippines and others, in contrast with Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and others who belong to the Inner Circle (Kachru,1991). Placing countries in different circles – inner vs outer or expanding, based on the concept of nativization – has generated questions of democracy in linguistic ideology and related issues of norms and standards. These are discussed.

Parametric study of the weave combination on the moldability of dome-shaped fabrics

2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Yang ◽  
Ayse Ebru Tayyar ◽  
Xiaogang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Study ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Outer Edge ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Dome Shape ◽  
Middle Circle

This paper aims to investigate the relationship of the weave combination and the moldability for dome-shaped fabrics. The weave combination plays a fundamental role in composing the dome shape for the dome-shaped fabric. Twelve concentric-round patterns were designed according to different weave arrangements varied systematically. It is found that a better dome shape could be formed using the weave sequence with long floats in the outer circle and short floats in the inner circle, compared to the opposite weave sequence. This is because the weave with long floats is easy to shrink and the weave with short floats is easy to invade. The larger the shrinkage in the outer edge, the more area could be pulled forward to the center to form the dome. The dome effect could be further strengthened by the shrinkage of long floats in the middle circle of the concentric-round. In addition, the washing treatment could give a positive influence on the moldability, as the study result shows that the dome depth of specimens was better after washing than before washing.

Noun phrase complexity in Nigerian English

English Today ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayowa Akinlotan ◽  
Alex Housen
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
American English ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Indian English ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
And Function ◽  
Structural Simplicity

Structural simplicity/complexity is an important variable with which New Englishes and native varieties are identified and conceptualised, but predicting such variation in complexity has received little attention in the literature. New Englishes, especially the outer circle varieties such as Nigerian or Indian English, differ in form and function from the inner circle varieties, such as British or American English, but the extent of such variation varies greatly and merits further investigation. According to Gorlach (1998), we should expect New Englishes to demonstrate simplification at the levels of morphology, lexis, and syntax. This has indeed been shown to be the case in some varieties, but it has also been shown that this variation differs according to different linguistic and non-linguistic factors. Most recently, Schilk and Schaub (2016) have shown how noun phrase (NP) structure can reveal the underlying structural simpification predicted in the New Englishes varieties. Brunner (2014) examined NP complexity across three New Englishes (British, Singaporean, and Kenyan English), explicating how grammars of the indigeneous languages in Singapore and Kenya influence NP simplicity/complexity.

scholarly journals Linguistic democratization in HKE across registers: The effects of prescriptivism

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-89
Author(s):  
Lucía Loureiro-Porto
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
The One ◽  
Hong Kong English

The second half or the twentieth century witnessed the emergence and expansion of linguistic changes associated to a number of processes related to changes in socio-cultural norms, such as colloquialization, informalization and democratization. This paper focuses on the latter, a phenomenon that has been claimed to be responsible for several ongoing changes in inner-circle varieties of English, but is rather unexplored in outer-circle varieties. The paper explores Hong Kong English and studies two linguistic sets of markers that include items that represent the (old) undemocratic alternative and the (new) democratic option, namely modal must vs. semi-modals have (got) to, need (to) and want to, and epicene pronouns including undemocratic generic he, on the one hand, and democratic singular they and conjoined he or she, on the other. Using the Hong Kong component of the International Corpus of English, and adopting a register approach, the paper reaches conclusions regarding the role played by prescriptivism in the diffusion of democratic items.

scholarly journals A Comparative study on English language teaching to young learners around the world

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-118
Author(s):  
Cansu Orsel ◽  
Fatih Yavuz
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
The World ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Inner Circle

Usage of the English language as Lingua Franca has caused an increasing demand on the English Language Teaching (ELT) in early childhood and according to Braj Kachru’s Three Circles Model of World Englishes as the Inner Circle, the Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle the approaches to the Young Learners dramatically differs. Besides the features of English as a global language and the nature of early language learning, this paper also focuses on the comparison of the three different examples from the Three Circles Model of World Englishes. They are compared in terms of techniques that are used and the approaches to the Young Learners. The examples taken are from the official websites of the three countries from the Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle; respectively, New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, and the Turkish Board of Education and Instruction. Keywords: Young Learners, The World Englishes, Lingua Franca, Braj Kachru, English Language Teaching (ELT).

On a Redescription of Foleyella candezi Fraipont, 1882, from Meller's Chamaeleon (Chamaeleon melleri), from Nyasaland

1956 ◽  
Vol 30 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 97-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. Jayewardene
Keyword(s):  
Peritoneal Cavity ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Lateral Aspect ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Specific Determination ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Shallow Groove ◽  
Slight Narrowing

Two species of nematodes were recovered from the Meller's chamaeleon from Nyasaland, which died at the London Zoo. They comprised ten females and eight males of Foleyella candezi from the axilla and peritoneal cavity, and two adult females of Abbreviata sp. from the gut. Specific determination was not possible for the latter species, owing to the paucity of the material.The females are thread-like and very slightly flattened dorso-ventrally. They have an average length of 94.8 mm. and range from 73 to 124 mm. The width is more or less uniform, average 0.5 mm. but becomes narrow at 1 mm. from the tip of the tail. The anterior end is bluntly rounded and in some specimens has a slightly bulbous appearance when observed from the lateral aspect. This is due to a slight narrowing at the junction of the oesophagus and intestine.The tail is more attenuated than the anterior end and it is slightly curved ventrad and marked by a shallow groove running ventrally from the anus to the tip where it is flanked by two minute papillae-like structures.The shallow stoma is somewhat oval in shape and surrounded by ten minute papillae, six of which form an inner circle and four an outer circle. The mid-dorsal and mid-ventral papillae of the inner circle are more conspicuous than the others.

Structure and Allusion in the Apostrophe Zion (11QPsa 22:1–15)

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-70
Author(s):  
Ruth Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Second Temple ◽  
The Other ◽  
Central Section ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Biblical Allusions ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Concentric Structure

Abstract The Apostrophe to Zion (11QPsa 22:1–15) is a Second Temple song structured as an alphabetic acrostic. A tripartite structure at alphabetic units ע-ת, ט-ס, א-ח with each part enclosed by inclusio has also been observed. In this paper it is proposed that the song also displays a seven part concentric structure, comprising A//A1—an opening and closing invocation to praise at units א-ב// ר-ת; an outer circle B//B1 units ג-ח//ע-ק in which a vision of the glorious future of Zion is recalled; an inner circle C//C1 units ט-כ//מ-ס in which past saving events are recalled and reflected upon in terms of the wisdom doctrine of retribution, and finally, a central section D at unit ל in which the hope of Zion is reaffirmed. Within this concentric structure the poet balances two biblical allusions to Isa 66:10–11 and Dan 9:24 in such a way that they enter into dialogue one with the other. In this the poet shares what appears to be a common Second Temple interpretive strategy of viewing earlier scriptural texts in the light of later ones.

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