Mandative subjunctive versus should in world Englishes: a new take on an old alternation

Corpora ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-241
Author(s):  
Sandra C. Deshors ◽  
Stefan Th. Gries
Keyword(s):  
World Englishes ◽  
Conditional Inference ◽  
Global English ◽  
Web Based ◽  
British English ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Conditional Inference Trees

This study explores the alternation between the mandative subjunctive and its modal alternative with should across native and non-native Englishes. Methodologically, we try to improve on existing standards by investigating over 3,300 occurrences of the alternation from the Corpus of Web-based Global English and annotated for a range of linguistic factors analysed with a forest of conditional inference trees; also, we are exemplifying a new strategy for the use of random or conditional inference forests in corpus-based alternation studies. We obtain a forest with significant prediction accuracies and a good C-score and discuss the strongest predictors of the subjunctive versus should alternation across Englishes. Contrasting with existing research, our multi-factorial results: ( i) suggest that in British English the mandative subjunctive may not be dying out as much as we thought; and ( ii) individual suasive verbs influence speakers' use of the two variants more than their variety of English.

Into-causatives in World Englishes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Brunner
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Frequency Variation ◽  
Global English ◽  
Web Based ◽  
British English ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Linguistic Evolution ◽  
Causative Construction

Abstract The paper analyses the frequency and use of the relatively rare, yet highly productive into-causative construction in twenty varieties of English on the basis of the 1.9-billion word Corpus of Web-based Global English (GloWbE; Davies 2013)1 and Schneider’s (2007) Dynamic Model. It hypothesises differences in frequency, variation in the preference for particularly frequent fillers as well as productivity differences in line with Schneider’s stages of linguistic evolution. However, it shows that only frequency differences reflect the Dynamic Model; with regard to the preference for frequent realisations and productivity, postcolonial varieties turn out to be very similar to British English. These results come as a surprise against the background of similar studies of the way-construction, where all of these effects have been documented convincingly. It is argued that the properties of into-causatives themselves (e.g. their idiomatic and semantic simplicity) might contribute to their more native-like usage patterns in postcolonial varieties of English.

Chinese Netizens’ reactions to the use of English as a lingua franca

English Today ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Weihong Wang ◽  
Fan (Gabriel) Fang
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Indigenous Languages ◽  
Linguistic Capital ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Global English ◽  
Local Varieties ◽  
British English ◽  
Linguistic Imperialism ◽  
The World

With the spread of English around the globe, academics increasingly seek to figure out what global English means to the world. Some accept English globalisation as a reality and take it as natural, neutral and beneficial for international and intercultural communication (Crystal, 2003). Some recognise English skills as important linguistic capital and must-have global literacy (Park & Wee, 2012; Tsui & Tollefson, 2007). However, others associate the global expansion of English with linguistic imperialism and the death of indigenous languages (Phillipson, 2009). Some regard globally spread English as native English varieties, particularly American and British English (Modiano, 2001; Trudgill, 1999), others argue for the rise of local varieties of World Englishes (WE) (Bolton, 2005; Kachru, 1986) and the international use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) (Jenkins, 2007; Seidlhofer, 2011). Although these generic interpretations of English have solid arguments from their own perspectives, none is sufficient to elucidate all the ‘complexity of ideological ramifications of the spread of English in [any] particular locality’ (Pan, 2011: 79).

The dative alternation in South Asian English(es)

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Bernaisch ◽  
Stefan Th. Gries ◽  
Joybrato Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Conditional Inference ◽  
The South ◽  
Double Object ◽  
Indian English ◽  
British English ◽  
Semantic Class ◽  
Dative Alternation ◽  
Syntactic Pattern ◽  
Conditional Inference Trees

The present paper focuses on the modelling of cross-varietal differences and similarities in South Asian English(es) and British English at the level of verb complementation. Specifically, we analyse the dative alternation with GIVE, i.e. the alternation between the double-object construction (John gave Mary a book) and the prepositional dative (John gave a book to Mary) as well as their passivised constructions with regard to the factors that potentially exert an influence on this alternation in seven varieties of English. The South Asian varieties under scrutiny are Bangladeshi English, Indian English, Maldivian English, Nepali English, Pakistani English and Sri Lankan English, while British English serves as the reference variety. The patterns of GIVE are annotated according to the following parameters including potential predictors of the dative alternation: syntactic pattern and semantic class of GIVE; syntactic complexity, animacy, discourse accessibility and pronominality of constituents (cf. Gries 2003b; Bresnan and Hay 2008). The choices of complementation patterns are then statistically modelled using conditional inference trees and a random-forest analysis. The results indicate that many of the predictors found to be relevant in British English are at play in the South Asian varieties, too. The syntactic pattern of GIVE is, in descending order, uniformly influenced by the predictors pronominality of recipient, length of recipient, semantic class of GIVE and length of patient. Interestingly, the predictor country is marginal in accounting for the dative alternation of GIVE across the varieties at hand. Based on this observation, we derive variety-independent protostructions, i.e. abstract combinations of (cross-varietally stable) features with high predictive power for a particular syntactic pattern, which we argue to be part of the lexicogrammatical “common core” (Quirk et al. 1985: 16) of English. The implications of the present paper are twofold. While the order of the predictors regarding their influence on the dative alternation is clearly compatible with earlier studies (cf. e.g. Green 1974; Ransom 1979; Hawkins 1994; Gries 2003b), the stability of the order across varieties of English calls for a) a more fine-grained gradation of linguistic forms and structures at the lexis-grammar interface as indicators of structural nativisation and b) a revision of earlier verb-complementational findings specific to individual or groups of varieties of South Asian English.

Zur Entwicklung der modalenverstehen-Konstruktion: Ein Konservierungseffekt im Zuge der Auxiliarisierung

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-135
Author(s):  
Volodymyr Dekalo
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Semantic Space ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Conditional Inference ◽  
Fourth Period ◽  
Space Model ◽  
Previous Time ◽  
Conditional Inference Trees ◽  
Feature Based

AbstractThe present paper deals with item- and feature-based changes of the modal semi-schematic construction with verstehen in written German during the 20th century. To understand this development, the century is divided into four equal periods. Applying a simple collexeme analysis for each time span, the study ascertains which lexical verbs appear as typical items in a schematic slot constituting its collostructional profile. Comparing the distributional behavior manually in a pairwise fashion, the analysis reveals that solely three verbs, namely machen, umgehen and meistern, stay constantly highly attracted within the top collexemes of the verstehen-construction during the 20th century. Using a dependency-based semantic space model, the study demonstrates that the collostructional profile of the fourth period differs considerably from the previous time span. Utilizing random forest of conditional inference trees, changes in terms of usage features of the modal construction are pinpointed. As a result, its grammaticality degree has not increased demonstrating solely minor changes in temporal functionality as well as in realization of subject forms.

Rethinking Language Education policy in the Context of Multilingual/ Multicultural English

2021 ◽  
Vol X (2) ◽  
pp. 49-53
Author(s):  
Aicha Rahal ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Education Policy ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Language Education Policy ◽  
Global English

Globalization has brought about a phenomenal spread of English. This spread has led to the emergence of the newborn varieties which has created serious challenges to language teaching pedagogy and language education policy. Bangbose (2003) has clearly pointed to this issue, stating “as researchers in world Englishes, we cannot consider our job done if we turn a blind eye to the problems of educational failure or unfavorable language policy outcomes” (as cited in the Council of Europe, 2007, p. 31). It seems that there is a mismatch between the advances that happened in the field of applied linguistics and language education policy. This paper focuses on language education policy in the context of global English because it is considered one of the influential factors in the gap between English lingua franca reality and English as a native language. First, it gives a brief overview of the recent situation with regard to English and shows the recent reality of multilingual English and its multifarious aspect (Rahal, 2018 & 2019). It also discusses the conceptual gap in language education policy. It points to the conceptual gap between the sociolinguistic reality of English and the language education policy that is still oriented towards English as a native language. Then, the paper points to the need for a language policy that includes linguistic diversity.

Performance of Wireless Magnetometers for Stop Bar Detection at Signalized Intersections

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (45) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jidong J. Yang ◽  
Bashan Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Access Point ◽  
Signalized Intersections ◽  
Conditional Inference ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Heavy Vehicles ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Reliable Detection ◽  
Conditional Inference Trees

Wireless magnetometers have been considered as a practical alternative to inductive loops and suitable for large intersections, where span wire is generally used for traffic signal support. In this paper, wireless magnetometers are evaluated for stop bar vehicle detection at signalized intersections. High-resolution detector data were collected in the field subjected to various weather and environmental conditions. Conditional inference trees were used to correlate detection errors with weather and environmental factors that potentially affect the performance of wireless magnetometers. The study results indicated that the wireless magnetometers are fairly robust to various environmental conditions, such as wind, lighting, and visibility. Frequent passing of heavy vehicles, common at large intersections, can cause communication interruption between in-pavement sensors and the access point. This likely increases false and stuck-on call errors, which could be aggravated by adverse weather (e.g., rain, fog, or snow). This communication interruption issue can be mitigated by proper installation of additional repeaters. Provided the interruption issues are site-specific, professional judgment and field test are required for proper system setup, which is critical to delivering accurate and reliable detection for the wireless magnetometer system.

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).

Response to Davies and Fuchs

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Mair
Keyword(s):  
World Wide ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Web Based

Commentary to: Davies, Mark, and Robert Fuchs. 2015. "Expanding horizons in the study of World Englishes with the 1.9 billion word Global Web-based English Corpus (GloWbE)". English World-Wide 36:1–28 (This issue). DOI:10.1075/eww.36.1.01dav

scholarly journals A Multivariate Study of T/V Forms in European Languages Based on a Parallel Corpus of Film Subtitles

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Levshina
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
The Other ◽  
Conditional Inference ◽  
Contextual Variables ◽  
Linguistic Differences ◽  
Parallel Corpus ◽  
Contextual Features ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Multivariate Study ◽  
Conditional Inference Trees

The present study investigates the cross-linguistic differences in the use of so-called T/V forms (e.g. French tu and vous, German du and Sie, Russian ty and vy) in ten European languages from different language families and genera. These constraints represent an elusive object of investigation because they depend on a large number of subtle contextual features and social distinctions, which should be cross-linguistically matched. Film subtitles in different languages offer a convenient solution because the situations of communication between film characters can serve as comparative concepts. I selected more than two hundred contexts that contain the pronouns you and yourself in the original English versions, which are then coded for fifteen contextual variables that describe the Speaker and the Hearer, their relationships and different situational properties. The creators of subtitles in the other languages have to choose between T and V when translating from English, where the T/V distinction is not expressed grammatically. On the basis of these situations translated in ten languages, I perform multivariate analyses using the method of conditional inference trees in order to identify the most relevant contextual variables that constrain the T/V variation in each language.

Cultural conceptualizations of gender and homosexuality in BrE, IndE, and NigE

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Finzel ◽  
Hans-Georg Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
Indian English ◽  
Local Varieties ◽  
Conceptual Metaphors ◽  
British English ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
The World ◽  
Cultural Linguistics

Abstract With the spread of English in many parts of the world, numerous local varieties have emerged, shaped by the sociocultural contexts in which they are embedded. Hence, although English is a unifying element, these varieties express different conceptualizations that are deeply rooted in culture. For the most part, these conceptualizations come in the form of conceptual metaphors, which not only influence our perception of the world (Lakoff & Johnson 1980), but also reveal cultural specifics of a particular society. One of the latest approaches in the field of conceptual metaphor research suggests that conceptual metaphors are actually multimodal, i.e., that they are expressed not only in language, but also, e.g., in gestures, facial expressions, sounds or images (Forceville 2009). Films are an ideal source of data for such multimodal metaphors. In the form of a pilot study, this paper applies this novel approach to metaphor to the field of World Englishes. While adding to the range of research that has already used the methodological toolbox of Cognitive Linguistics or its cognate discipline Cultural Linguistics in the investigation of the cultural dimension of varieties of English (e.g., Kövecses 1995; Liu 2002; Malcolm & Rochecouste 2000; Sharifian 2006; Wolf 2001; Wolf & Polzenhagen 2009), we provide a new exploratory angle to that investigation by using cinematic material for the analysis. Specifically, this study focuses on conceptualizations pertaining to the target domains woman and homosexuality. The data we have selected are from Great Britain, India and Nigeria, because these countries have important film industries, and British English, Indian English and Nigerian English constitute culturally distinct varieties.

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