Natural Syntax of Belfast English (I) Subject-Verb Agreement, (II) Imperative
PDF

How to Cite

Orešnik, J. (2010). Natural Syntax of Belfast English (I) Subject-Verb Agreement, (II) Imperative. Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, 45(2), 107–143. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10121-009-0018-1

Abstract

The framework of this paper is Natural Syntax initiated by the author in the tradition of (morphological) naturalness as established by †Willi Mayerthaler and Wolfgang U. Dressler. Natural Syntax is a developing deductive theory. The naturalness judgements are couched in naturalness scales, which follow from the basic parameters (or “axioms”) listed at the beginningof the paper. The predictions of the theory are calculated in what are known as deductions, the chief components of each being a pair of naturalness scales and the rules governing the alignment of corresponding naturalness values. Parallel and chiastic alignment are distinguished and related to Henning Andersen’s early work on markedness. Natural Syntax is exemplified here with two syntactic phenomena found in Belfast English and partly deviating from Standard English: (I) subject-verb agreement, (II) the imperative. The language data are taken from Henry (1995), and close attention has been paid to the (TG)interpretations adduced in that monograph. Some recent work related to Natural Syntax: Orešnik (2007a-e, 2008a-c) and Orešnik and Cvetko-Orešnik (2009, only work written in English is mentioned).

https://doi.org/10.2478/v10121-009-0018-1
PDF

References

Andersen, Henning 1972 "Diphthongization", Language 48: 11-50.

Collins Cobuild 1990 Collins Cobuild English Grammar. London: HarperCollins.

Cvetko-Orešnik, Varja - Janez Orešnik 2009 "Natural syntax: Expressions of future time", in: Steven Franks - Vrinda Chidambaram - Brian Joseph (eds.), 167-187.

Duden. Richtiges und gutes Deutsch 1985 Duden. Richtiges und gutes Deutsch. (3rd edition.) Mannheim: Dudenverlag.

Franks, Steven - Vrinda Chidambaram - Brian Joseph (eds.) 2009 A linguist's linguist: Studies in South Slavic linguistics in honor of E. Wayles Browne. Bloomington - Indiana: Slavica.

Havers, Wilhelm 1931 Handbuch der erklärenden Syntax. Heidelberg: Winter.

Henry, Alison 1995 Belfast English and Standard English: Dialect variation and parameter setting. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hovdhaugen, Even (ed.) 1980 The Nordic languages and general linguistics: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference of Nordic and General Linguistics in Oslo. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.

Huddleston, Rodney - Geoffrey K. Pullum 2002 The Cambridge grammar of the English language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kimball, John - Judith Aissen 1971 "I think, you think, he think", Linguistic Inquiry 2: 241-246.

Mayerthaler, Willi 1981 Morphologische Natürlichkeit. Wiesbaden: Athenaion.

Mohammad, M. A. [L.] 1989 The sentential structure of Arabic. [PhD dissertation, University of Southern California.]

Orešnik, Janez 1980 "On the modern Icelandic clipped imperative", in: Hovdhaugen (ed.), 305-314.

Orešnik, Janez 2007a "Natural syntax: Negation in English", Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 43: 97-111.

Orešnik, Janez 2007b "Natural syntax: The grammatical person of personal pronouns", Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung 60: 293-313.

Orešnik, Janez 2007c "Natural syntax: English interrogative dependent clauses", Razprave 20 [Razred za filološke in literarne vede SAZU Ljubljana]: 191-208.

Orešnik, Janez 2007d "Natural syntax: English dependent clauses", Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 43: 219-236.

Orešnik, Janez 2007e "Natural syntax: English interrogative main clauses", Linguistica 47: 35-48.

Orešnik, Janez 2008a "Natural syntax: English relative clauses", Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 44: 61-101. [available at: http://.metapress.com//] http://.metapress.com//

Orešnik, Janez 2008b "Natural syntax: English reported speech", Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 44: 217-252.

Orešnik, Janez 2008c "Standard French liaison and natural syntax", Linguistica 48: 33-48. [Demetrio Skubic octogenario I]

Radziński, Daniel 1985 On number disagreement in V