Synopses & Reviews
This volume offers qualitative as well as corpus-based quantitative studies on grammatical variation in the British Isles written from a typological perspective. All studies make use of the Freiburg English Dialect Corpus (FRED), a computerized corpus for predominantly British English dialects. Systematic comparative analyses of the following three domains of grammar form the backbone of the volume: relativization strategies in Scottish English, Northern Irish English, and in four major dialect areas in England (Herrmann), the so-called Northern Subject Rule, a special agreement phenomenon known from Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (Pietsch), and pronominal gender, with a special focus on the typologically rather unique semantic gender system in the dialects of Southwest England (Wagner). This volume will be of interest to dialectologists, sociolinguists, typologists, historical linguists, grammarians, and anyone interested in the structure of spontaneous spoken English. Key Features It is the first book of its kind. It is rare already in its focus on the morphology and syntax of dialects. It is unique in its general orientation and data base. The volume is bound to have a major impact on English dialectology and the study of the grammar of English.
Synopsis
This volume offers qualitative as well as corpus-based quantitative studies on three domains of grammatical variation in the British Isles. All studies draw heavily on the Freiburg English Dialect Corpus (FRED), a computerized corpus for predominantly British English dialects comprising some 2.5 million words. Besides an account of FRED and the advantages which a functional-typological framework offers for the study of dialect grammar, the volume includes the following three substantial studies.
Tanja Herrmann's study is the first systematic cross-regional study of relativization strategies for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and four major dialect areas in England. In her research design Hermann has included a number of issues crucial in typological research on relative clauses, above all the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy. Lukas Pietsch investigates the so-called Northern Subject Rule, a special agreement phenomenon known from Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. His study is primarily based on the Northern Ireland Transcribed Corpus of Speech, but also on the FRED and SED data (Survey of English Dialects) for the North of England. Susanne Wagner is concerned with the phenomenon of pronominal gender, focussing especially on the typologically rather unique semantic gender system in the dialects of Southwest England.
This volume will be of interest to dialectologists, sociolinguists, typologists, historical linguists, grammarians, and anyone interested in the structure of spontaneous spoken English.