Variability in English across time and space
Variability in English across time and space
Contributor(s): Ewa Waniek-Klimczak (Editor), Anna Cichosz (Editor)
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: English linguistics; diachronic changes in the English language; English phonetics and phonology; historical dialectology; pragmatics
Summary/Abstract: Synchronic variability in the area of phonetics, phonology, vocabulary, morphology and syntax is a natural feature of any language, including English. The existence of competing variants is in itself a fascinating phenomenon, but it is also a prerequisite for diachronic changes. This volume is a collection of studies which investigate variability from a contemporary and historical perspective, in both native and non-native varieties of English. The topics include Middle English spelling variation, lexical differences between Middle English dialects, Late Middle and Early Modern English forms of address, Middle English negation patterns, the English used by Polish immigrants living in London, lexical fixedness in native and non-native English used by Polish learners, and the phenomenon of phonetic imitation in Polish learners of English. The book should be of interest to anyone interested in English linguistics, especially English phonetics and phonology as well as history of English, historical dialectology and pragmatics.
Series: Uniwersytet Łódzki
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-8088-066-5
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-8088-065-8
- Page Count: 160
- Publication Year: 2016
- Language: English
Preface
Preface
(Preface)
- Author(s):Ewa Waniek-Klimczak, Anna Cichosz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:5-7
- No. of Pages:3
Realisations of the word-initial variable (th) in selected late middle English northern legal documents
Realisations of the word-initial variable (th) in selected late middle English northern legal documents
(Realisations of the word-initial variable (th) in selected late middle English northern legal documents)
- Author(s):Michał Adamczyk
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:11-41
- No. of Pages:31
- Summary/Abstract:This paper is a study in Late Middle English orthography and its relationship with the phonological system. The study was conducted on a representative sample of legal documents from all core northern counties. The analysis concerned the variable (th) that stands for a systemic distinction between /ð/ and /θ/ by means of two graphemes: <þ/y> and <th> in the north of England. The results of the quantitative analysis confirmed the existence of the Northern System, however, in its decline. The analysis of discrete grammatical words proved that the, that and they were the most conservative words showing a significantly higher preference for <þ/y> than the remaining grammatical words examined in the present study.
Multiple negation in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales as a marker of social status. A pilot study
Multiple negation in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales as a marker of social status. A pilot study
(Multiple negation in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales as a marker of social status. A pilot study)
- Author(s):Maciej Grabski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:43-55
- No. of Pages:13
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of the following paper is to examine fragments of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, one of the most celebrated specimens of Middle English poetry, with regard to the presence or absence of multiple negation. Negative concord, as the structure in question is often referred to, was firmly ingrained in the language in the Old English period, and, having undergone some formal and syntactic modifications, carried into Middle English. The pattern of its decline in the latter parts of the 15th century is observed to correlate with the social status of the speaker, the change originating in the higher tiers of the society. Disfavoring negative concord possibly had sources in the administrative and legal language, the subtleties of which Chaucer, having held a number of official posts with the court and chancery, would have most likely been versed in. Consequently, the paper proposes to at least partly account for Chaucer’s choices as regards negative concord from a sociolinguistic perspective and establish a possible connection between the structure’s distributional pattern and the status of the Canterbury Tales fictional speakers, who come from very different walks of life. Other factors which may have informed or influenced the author’s morphosyntactic choices will also be mentioned.
The effect of previous language experience and ‘proper’ L2 input on the aspiration of English voiceless stops by Polish adult immigrants to London
The effect of previous language experience and ‘proper’ L2 input on the aspiration of English voiceless stops by Polish adult immigrants to London
(The effect of previous language experience and ‘proper’ L2 input on the aspiration of English voiceless stops by Polish adult immigrants to London)
- Author(s):Aleksandra Matysiak
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:57-75
- No. of Pages:19
- Summary/Abstract:The study explores the effect of language experience (with emphasis on the level of L21 proficiency on arrival in the UK and the quality of L2 input) in 24 Polish adult immigrants to London who have been learning their L2 on a daily basis in natural surroundings. Participants were divided into groups according to the abovementioned criteria. The phonetic parameter under investigation is VOT2 in voiceless aspirated stops /p/, /t/ and /k/ in word-initial positions, analysed on the basis of a reading task and then measured in Praat. The qualitative data were collected by means of a structured interview. The results suggest the importance of the level of English proficiency in L2 on arrival in the L2 country and its influence on the phonetic system developed by each learner individually. L2 pronunciation level can be developed mainly through the frequent use of the L2 in communication with native-speakers of the language.
Formulaic language in native and learner English – a corpus-based study of silent pauses
Formulaic language in native and learner English – a corpus-based study of silent pauses
(Formulaic language in native and learner English – a corpus-based study of silent pauses)
- Author(s):Wojciech Rajtar
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:77-91
- No. of Pages:15
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of this on-going study is to investigate whether intersegmental silent pauses with regard to formulaic sequences in native speaker English and Polish learner English occur in similar patterns, and whether the selection of the most common two- and three-word phrases in both types of English is alike. The analysis was conducted on the basis of the conversational sub-corpus of the British National Corpus and the spoken part of the PELCRA Learner English Corpus (Pęzik 2012), from which potential lexical bundles were extracted. Then, temporal analysis of audio samples from both corpora corresponding to the potential lexical bundles was performed in order to determine their prosodic features. As a result, the degree of relations between formulaicity of an utterance and its prosodic features, as well as the range of the most frequently used formulaic sequences was shown for both types of English analyzed.
Mandeville’s Travels and the study of Middle English word geography: a corpus-based analysis of selected verbs
Mandeville’s Travels and the study of Middle English word geography: a corpus-based analysis of selected verbs
(Mandeville’s Travels and the study of Middle English word geography: a corpus-based analysis of selected verbs)
- Author(s):Paulina Rybińska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:93-120
- No. of Pages:28
- Summary/Abstract:This paper presents an example of a study that deals with lexical choices in the Middle English period. It aims to first investigate whether the choice of the verbs in the two regionally distinct versions of the Late Middle English book Mandeville’s Travels is text-dependent or region-dependent, which would then show to what extent the results of the comparison may be observed in other Middle English texts. In addition, it checks whether the choice of the verbs is influenced by their etymology. This study in progress is hoped to partially contribute both to the field of Middle English word geography and to the examination of the aforementioned text in general.
Second-person pronouns and their relation with nominal forms of address in Late Middle English and Early Modern English personal letters
Second-person pronouns and their relation with nominal forms of address in Late Middle English and Early Modern English personal letters
(Second-person pronouns and their relation with nominal forms of address in Late Middle English and Early Modern English personal letters)
- Author(s):Emilia Szczytko
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:121-140
- No. of Pages:20
- Summary/Abstract:Generally, little attention has been given to the role of selected linguistic and extralinguistic factors in the use of forms of address (Walker 2007). Therefore, the major theoretical concern behind this research is to examine quantitatively and qualitatively, based on selected letters from the CEECS corpus (1998), the influence of social stratification and family relations on the usage of pronominal forms of address. Apart from that, it also analyses the interrelation between second-person pronouns and nominal forms of address in Late Middle English and Early Modern English.
Variability in L2 English pronunciation examined through the prism of phonetic imitation
Variability in L2 English pronunciation examined through the prism of phonetic imitation
(Variability in L2 English pronunciation examined through the prism of phonetic imitation)
- Author(s):Magdalena Zając
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Language studies, Language and Literature Studies
- Page Range:141-159
- No. of Pages:19
- Summary/Abstract:The paper is concerned with the imitation of vowel duration and quality upon exposure to native and non-native English speech. The participants were Polish learners of English recruited at the University of Lodz. The study aimed to determine whether the extent of phonetic imitation may be influenced by the model talker being a native or a non-native speaker of English and whether different imitation strategies may explain some of the variability in L2 speech. The results of the study suggest that phonetic imitation may account for some of the variability in L2 pronunciation and that the native/non-native status of the model talker may have a bearing on the direction of convergence. It was also found that the magnitude of imitation may depend on the degree to which a given L2 feature functions in the learners’ interlanguage.
