Schneider, Edgar W. (2023) Lexicosemantic diffusion in World Englishes: variable meaning-form relations in prospective verbs. ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS, 27 (4). pp. 719-748. ISSN 1360-6743, 1469-4379
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This article suggests that in the investigation of World Englishes, which has tended to focus on syntactic, phonological and lexical preferences, the analysis of shifts in word meanings (and meaning-form relations in lexical items) needs to be incorporated. Exemplary small-scale studies show that in polysemic words certain varieties come to prefer specific meanings, and in word fields some varieties begin to prefer certain forms over others. Based on analyses of different ICE corpora, a set of prospective verbs, their meaning relationships and their varying correlations with syntactic construction choices in different varieties are investigated quantitatively (using HCFA and conditional inference trees) and qualitatively (showcasing interesting innovative, possibly emerging uses in some countries). Regionality is consistently shown to be a weakly conditioning significant factor. Thus, it is suggested that lexicosemantic variability and diffusion in the evolution of World Englishes deserve and need to be investigated systematically.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | polysemy; prospective verbs; semantic change; word fields; World Englishes |
| Subjects: | 400 Language > 420 English |
| Divisions: | Languages and Literatures > Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik > Lehrstuhl für Englische Sprachwissenschaft (Prof. Dr. Edgar Schneider) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Feb 2024 09:24 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Feb 2024 09:24 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/59052 |
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