Functional Variations In English

This volume is a compilation of 21 distinguished chapters, an Introduction, and an Afterword with a thematic focus on the functional variations of English in non-native contexts. Highly acclaimed scholars in the field of (applied) linguistics, bringing their expertise from the core areas of general linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive linguistics, educational linguistics, and stylistics, address the ways in which English language varies in different contexts. The contributions carefully examine the variations, the complexities and the concerns arising thereof, and explore the resultant pedagogical implications. The volume, in this respect, contributes to an informed process for policy decisions, curriculum design, material development, and most importantly classroom practices based on the ability, feasibility and desirability of English for the users, as a step towards nurturing globally-minded, globally-competent, and globally-functioning individuals. Taking the deliberations through and beyond Kachru’s world Englishes model of three circles, this book is an attempt to: See what the users of English ‘do’ or ‘do not do’ with the language, rather than ‘where’ they come from Create a flexible mindset to enable acceptance and respect for linguistic variations in English usage Promote practical abilities for language and ‘communication management’ Facilitate informed pedagogical practices based on global realities

This volume showcases previously unpublished research on theoretical, descriptive, and methodological innovations for understanding language patterns grounded in a Systemic Functional Linguistic perspective. Featuring contributions from an international range of scholars, the book demonstrates how advances in SFL have developed to reflect the breadth of variation in language and how descriptive methodologies for language have evolved in turn. Taken together, the volume offers a comprehensive account of Systemic Functional Language description, providing a foundation for practice and further research for students and scholars in descriptive linguistics, SFL, and theoretical linguistics.

This collection of different perspectives on language variation serves as a companion volume to New Ways of Analyzing Variation in English.

Despite a significant increase in interest over the last two decades in the English Noun Phrase, there are still many open questions and unexplored issues. The papers collected in this volume contribute to this ongoing research by addressing a range of topics concerning the internal structure, use and development of English Noun Phrases. The eleven chapters represent three main themes: 1. Determination, modification and complementation; 2. Shell nouns and the X-is construction; 3. Binominal constructions. These topics are approached in different ways: some chapters are synchronic in nature, others diachronic; and while most subscribe to functional-cognitive modelling, some take a more formal approach. In addition, different methodologies are employed, varying from qualitative and quantitative corpus analyses to experimental methods. As a result, the contributions to this volume represent both the main topics currently discussed in research on the English Noun Phrase, and the diversity in the way these topics are investigated.

In recent years, word order has come to be seen, within a Government Binding/Minimalist framework, as determined by functional as well as lexical categories. Within this framework, functional categories are often seen as present in every language without evidence being available in that language. This book contains arguments that even though Universal Grammar makes functional categories available, the language learner must decide whether or not to incorporate them in his or her grammar. For instance, it is shown that English has one (not two as often assumed) functional category between the complementizer and the Negation, but that languages such as Dutch, Swedish, German and Old and Middle English have none. The title of the book can be seen in terms of the direction current research is taking; it can also be seen in terms of the changes that have taken place in English.

This anthology emphasizes dialects of American English and language variation in America. The editors present original essays by today's leading investigators, including articles by some of Europe's best dialectologists, obtained expressly for this work. Important topics featured in Dialect and Language Variation include:**Dialect theories: linguistic geography, structural and generative dialectology, and language variation.**The nature of social dialects and language variation, with attention to women's speech.**Overview of regional dialects and area studies.**The nature and study of the relationship between ethnicity and dialects, including Black, Italian, Irish, Chicano, and Jewish ethnic groups.**The application of dialect studies to education.**Of special interest to dialectologists, sociolinguists, and English language educators and specialists, this work provides original insight into**a general background and history of dialect theory**an overview of regional geography and area studies**the principles of social dialects and language variation from several perspectives**an exploration of the relationship between ethnicity and dialects o explanations of the relationship between historical and language change**a section on how dialects and language variation can contribute to effective language instruction.

Standard English draws together the leading international scholars in the field, who confront the debates surrounding 'Standard English', grammar and correctness head-on. These debates are as intense today as ever and extend far beyond an academic context. Current debates about the teaching of English in the school curriculum and concerns about declining standards of English are placed in a historical, social and international context. Standard English: * explores the definitions of 'Standard English', with particular attention to distinctions between spoken and written English * traces the idea of 'Standard English' from its roots in the late seventeenth century through to the present day. This is an accessible, seminal work which clarifies an increasingly confused topic. It includes contributions from: Ronald Carter, Jenny Cheshire, Tony Crowley, James Milroy, Lesley Milroy and Peter Trudgill.

Using Corpora to Explore Linguistic Variation illustrates the ways in which linguistic variation can be explored through corpus-based investigation. Two major kinds of research questions are considered: variation in the use of a particular linguistic feature, and variation across dialects or registers. Part 1: “Exploring variation in the use of linguistic features” focuses on the study of specific words, expressions, or grammatical constructions, to study variation in the use of a particular linguistic feature. Part 2: “Exploring dialect and register variation” describes salient characteristics of dialects or registers and the patterns of variation across varieties. Part 3: “Exploring Historical Variation” applies these same two major perspectives to historical variation. One recurring theme is the extent to which linguistic variation depends on register differences, reflecting the importance of register as a key methodological and thematic concern in current corpus linguistic research.