Ronald K. S. Macaulay
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195173819
- eISBN:
- 9780199788361
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195173819.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This work is a sociolinguistic study employing quantitative methods to explore age, gender, and social class differences in the use of a range of discourse features. It is based on a gender-balanced ...
More
This work is a sociolinguistic study employing quantitative methods to explore age, gender, and social class differences in the use of a range of discourse features. It is based on a gender-balanced sample of middle-class and working-class adolescents and adults, recorded under the same conditions in Glasgow, Scotland. Unlike studies of phonetic or morphological variation, the study of discourse variation requires samples of talk in action with speakers interacting with one another. The speakers, who knew each other, were recorded talking in the presence of the tape-recorder for approximately half an hour without the investigator being present. The recordings were transcribed in their totality and the transcripts searched for the occurrence of features such as the use of pronouns, adverbs, you know, I mean, as well as grammatical features such as questions and passive voice. The frequencies of use of the variables by the different social groups (e.g., middle-class women, adolescent boys) were calibrated and the results compared. Differences between adults and adolescents provided the greatest number of statistically significant results, followed by differences between males and females. The smallest number of statistically significant differences were related to social class. Qualitative analysis, however, revealed important social class differences in discourse styles. The study shows the danger of generalizing about social class or gender on the basis of a limited sample of a few discourse features.Less
This work is a sociolinguistic study employing quantitative methods to explore age, gender, and social class differences in the use of a range of discourse features. It is based on a gender-balanced sample of middle-class and working-class adolescents and adults, recorded under the same conditions in Glasgow, Scotland. Unlike studies of phonetic or morphological variation, the study of discourse variation requires samples of talk in action with speakers interacting with one another. The speakers, who knew each other, were recorded talking in the presence of the tape-recorder for approximately half an hour without the investigator being present. The recordings were transcribed in their totality and the transcripts searched for the occurrence of features such as the use of pronouns, adverbs, you know, I mean, as well as grammatical features such as questions and passive voice. The frequencies of use of the variables by the different social groups (e.g., middle-class women, adolescent boys) were calibrated and the results compared. Differences between adults and adolescents provided the greatest number of statistically significant results, followed by differences between males and females. The smallest number of statistically significant differences were related to social class. Qualitative analysis, however, revealed important social class differences in discourse styles. The study shows the danger of generalizing about social class or gender on the basis of a limited sample of a few discourse features.
Ronald K. S. Macaulay
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195173819
- eISBN:
- 9780199788361
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195173819.003.0015
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter sums up the methodology used in the investigation and presents some principles for the study of variations in the use of discourse features. Items should be collected on the basis of ...
More
This chapter sums up the methodology used in the investigation and presents some principles for the study of variations in the use of discourse features. Items should be collected on the basis of forms rather than meaning or function. Raw scores should be provided. Discourse features should be treated as unitary phenomena where possible.Less
This chapter sums up the methodology used in the investigation and presents some principles for the study of variations in the use of discourse features. Items should be collected on the basis of forms rather than meaning or function. Raw scores should be provided. Discourse features should be treated as unitary phenomena where possible.
Ronald K. S. Macaulay
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195173819
- eISBN:
- 9780199788361
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195173819.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
The participants in this study were recorded in pairs, without the investigator present. The speakers knew each other and spoke freely. A complete word count and concordance was created from each ...
More
The participants in this study were recorded in pairs, without the investigator present. The speakers knew each other and spoke freely. A complete word count and concordance was created from each speaker's transcript, and frequencies for selected items per 1,000 words were calculated. The method is illustrated with the example of Minimal Responses. The classification of other kinds of discourse features is shown.Less
The participants in this study were recorded in pairs, without the investigator present. The speakers knew each other and spoke freely. A complete word count and concordance was created from each speaker's transcript, and frequencies for selected items per 1,000 words were calculated. The method is illustrated with the example of Minimal Responses. The classification of other kinds of discourse features is shown.
Silvio Cruschina
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199759613
- eISBN:
- 9780199932658
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199759613.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter summarizes the main points and findings of the book. The book discusses the notion of discourse‐related features and their relevance for linguistic theory and parametric variation. The ...
More
This chapter summarizes the main points and findings of the book. The book discusses the notion of discourse‐related features and their relevance for linguistic theory and parametric variation. The principal aim is to determine the syntax of the functional projections associated with these types of features and to account for the marked word orders, in particular the fronting phenomena, found in Romance. The analysis carried out leads us to the conclusion that information structure categories play an active role in the syntax in the form of discourse-related features able to trigger specific syntactic operations. In addition, it reveals that the association of focus with both overt and covert operators is one of the most important factors in the regulation and assessment of the information structure of the sentence and, accordingly, of marked word orders.Less
This chapter summarizes the main points and findings of the book. The book discusses the notion of discourse‐related features and their relevance for linguistic theory and parametric variation. The principal aim is to determine the syntax of the functional projections associated with these types of features and to account for the marked word orders, in particular the fronting phenomena, found in Romance. The analysis carried out leads us to the conclusion that information structure categories play an active role in the syntax in the form of discourse-related features able to trigger specific syntactic operations. In addition, it reveals that the association of focus with both overt and covert operators is one of the most important factors in the regulation and assessment of the information structure of the sentence and, accordingly, of marked word orders.
Jennifer Hay and Margaret A. Maclagan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748625291
- eISBN:
- 9780748651542
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748625291.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This book is a description of English as it is spoken in New Zealand. New Zealand English (NZE) is one of the youngest native-speaker varieties of English, and is the only variety of English where ...
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This book is a description of English as it is spoken in New Zealand. New Zealand English (NZE) is one of the youngest native-speaker varieties of English, and is the only variety of English where there is recorded evidence of its entire history. It shares some features with other Southern Hemisphere varieties of English such as Australian English and South African English, but is also clearly distinct from these. For the past two decades, extensive research has focused on the evolution and ongoing development of the variety. The book presents the results of this research in an accessible way. It includes: an account of the phonetic, phonological, morphosyntactic, lexical, and discourse features that are characteristic of the dialect; a discussion of the historical development of NZE; a description of the current social and regional variation within the variety; an indication of the areas where change is currently occurring; and sample texts and an annotated bibliography of relevant literature. There are also several associated audio files, which provide examples of many of the phenomena discussed, at http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/dialects/.Less
This book is a description of English as it is spoken in New Zealand. New Zealand English (NZE) is one of the youngest native-speaker varieties of English, and is the only variety of English where there is recorded evidence of its entire history. It shares some features with other Southern Hemisphere varieties of English such as Australian English and South African English, but is also clearly distinct from these. For the past two decades, extensive research has focused on the evolution and ongoing development of the variety. The book presents the results of this research in an accessible way. It includes: an account of the phonetic, phonological, morphosyntactic, lexical, and discourse features that are characteristic of the dialect; a discussion of the historical development of NZE; a description of the current social and regional variation within the variety; an indication of the areas where change is currently occurring; and sample texts and an annotated bibliography of relevant literature. There are also several associated audio files, which provide examples of many of the phenomena discussed, at http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/dialects/.
Silvio Cruschina
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199759613
- eISBN:
- 9780199932658
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199759613.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter discusses the main problems and questions that generally arise in relation to information structure notions such as topic and focus. More specifically, it tackles the problems of the ...
More
This chapter discusses the main problems and questions that generally arise in relation to information structure notions such as topic and focus. More specifically, it tackles the problems of the definition of topic and focus and of their implementation in the syntax. It begins with the definition of the notions of topic and focus, with particular attention given to the exact specification of what is directly derived from syntax and what is influenced by inferential pragmatic processes dependent on the context. A review follows of the mainstream approaches in the current Generative Grammar, i.e. Minimalist Program and the Cartographic Approach, and of the respective explanatory tools needed to tackle the problem primarily from a theoretical perspective.Less
This chapter discusses the main problems and questions that generally arise in relation to information structure notions such as topic and focus. More specifically, it tackles the problems of the definition of topic and focus and of their implementation in the syntax. It begins with the definition of the notions of topic and focus, with particular attention given to the exact specification of what is directly derived from syntax and what is influenced by inferential pragmatic processes dependent on the context. A review follows of the mainstream approaches in the current Generative Grammar, i.e. Minimalist Program and the Cartographic Approach, and of the respective explanatory tools needed to tackle the problem primarily from a theoretical perspective.
Silvio Cruschina
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199759613
- eISBN:
- 9780199932658
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199759613.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This book examines discourse‐related features and their relevance for syntactic theory. This study adopts a cartographic approach to syntactic structures, and has two principal aims: (i) to determine ...
More
This book examines discourse‐related features and their relevance for syntactic theory. This study adopts a cartographic approach to syntactic structures, and has two principal aims: (i) to determine the syntax of the functional projections associated with these types of features and (ii) to account for the various types of fronting phenomena observed in the Romance languages. Based primarily on data from Sicilian and Sardinian, this book sets out to show that contrary to standard assumptions, Focus Fronting in Romance is not restricted to contrastive interpretations, but is also possible with non‐contrastive (‘informational’) Focus. The synthesis of existing analyses and new empirical data from other Romance languages show that non‐contrastive Focus Fronting is a fairly widespread property of Romance, involving quantifiers and quantified expressions (QP‐Fronting) as well as constituents expressing new and unexpected information (Mirative Fronting). Drawing on this empirical evidence, and with the support of further relevant syntactic, prosodic, and interpretive differences, it is claimed that Contrastive Focus and Informational Focus constitute separate categories related to independent features and encoded in distinct focus projections. It is further proposed that a direct parallelism holds between the two focus categories and the two types of wh‐expressions identified in the literature, i.e. D‐linked wh‐phrases and non‐D‐linked wh‐phrases. The analysis of the interplay between word order and of the extension of the focus in different types of sentences reveals novel evidence for the interaction between focus and illocutionary and clause‐type operators. The focus of the clause is also sensitive to overt operators such as wh‐phrases, quantifiers, and focalizing adverbs. The association of focus with both overt and covert operators is therefore a key factor for the interface between syntax and information structure.Less
This book examines discourse‐related features and their relevance for syntactic theory. This study adopts a cartographic approach to syntactic structures, and has two principal aims: (i) to determine the syntax of the functional projections associated with these types of features and (ii) to account for the various types of fronting phenomena observed in the Romance languages. Based primarily on data from Sicilian and Sardinian, this book sets out to show that contrary to standard assumptions, Focus Fronting in Romance is not restricted to contrastive interpretations, but is also possible with non‐contrastive (‘informational’) Focus. The synthesis of existing analyses and new empirical data from other Romance languages show that non‐contrastive Focus Fronting is a fairly widespread property of Romance, involving quantifiers and quantified expressions (QP‐Fronting) as well as constituents expressing new and unexpected information (Mirative Fronting). Drawing on this empirical evidence, and with the support of further relevant syntactic, prosodic, and interpretive differences, it is claimed that Contrastive Focus and Informational Focus constitute separate categories related to independent features and encoded in distinct focus projections. It is further proposed that a direct parallelism holds between the two focus categories and the two types of wh‐expressions identified in the literature, i.e. D‐linked wh‐phrases and non‐D‐linked wh‐phrases. The analysis of the interplay between word order and of the extension of the focus in different types of sentences reveals novel evidence for the interaction between focus and illocutionary and clause‐type operators. The focus of the clause is also sensitive to overt operators such as wh‐phrases, quantifiers, and focalizing adverbs. The association of focus with both overt and covert operators is therefore a key factor for the interface between syntax and information structure.
Silvio Cruschina
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199759613
- eISBN:
- 9780199932658
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199759613.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This introductory chapter presents the main problems that will be addressed in this study, as well as the aims and the goals of the book. It begins with the definition of information structure, and ...
More
This introductory chapter presents the main problems that will be addressed in this study, as well as the aims and the goals of the book. It begins with the definition of information structure, and with a description of the main questions that arise from the claim that discourse‐related features play an active role in syntax and from its theoretical consequences. An outline follows of the contents of the chapters.Less
This introductory chapter presents the main problems that will be addressed in this study, as well as the aims and the goals of the book. It begins with the definition of information structure, and with a description of the main questions that arise from the claim that discourse‐related features play an active role in syntax and from its theoretical consequences. An outline follows of the contents of the chapters.
Andy Kirkpatrick
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789888028795
- eISBN:
- 9789882206922
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888028795.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter examines a selection of syntactic and discourse features and pragmatic norms in English speakers in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. It provides some examples of ...
More
This chapter examines a selection of syntactic and discourse features and pragmatic norms in English speakers in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. It provides some examples of grammatical variation in the dialects of British English and in new varieties of English. The chapter discusses the emergence of non-standard forms of Asian varieties of English and considers the possible causes of these developments.Less
This chapter examines a selection of syntactic and discourse features and pragmatic norms in English speakers in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. It provides some examples of grammatical variation in the dialects of British English and in new varieties of English. The chapter discusses the emergence of non-standard forms of Asian varieties of English and considers the possible causes of these developments.