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Chapter 4. A (great) deal of : Developments in 19th-century British and Australian English

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Abstract

All variants of the form a x deal of are investigated across nineteenth-century English in south-eastern England and in Australia. Determiner uses dominate followed by adverbial uses with verbs and pronominal uses coming last. The great majority of items found include an adjective, almost invariably good or great, thus confirming the routinized nature of the larger phrase. Regarding the two semantic functions of deal, quantification is more common overall, but while this also predominates in England, Australia prefers degree readings and thus a more strongly grammaticalized form. Stylistically, deal-phrases show a preference for involved contexts and to a lesser extent also towards oral contexts. Australian English uses the form to a greater extent, perhaps indicating greater colloquiality, and additionally often shows rising use.

Abstract

All variants of the form a x deal of are investigated across nineteenth-century English in south-eastern England and in Australia. Determiner uses dominate followed by adverbial uses with verbs and pronominal uses coming last. The great majority of items found include an adjective, almost invariably good or great, thus confirming the routinized nature of the larger phrase. Regarding the two semantic functions of deal, quantification is more common overall, but while this also predominates in England, Australia prefers degree readings and thus a more strongly grammaticalized form. Stylistically, deal-phrases show a preference for involved contexts and to a lesser extent also towards oral contexts. Australian English uses the form to a greater extent, perhaps indicating greater colloquiality, and additionally often shows rising use.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Processes of change in Late Modern English
  6. Chapter 2. Enregisterment and historical sociolinguistics 7
  7. Chapter 3. The obelisk and the asterisk 1
  8. Chapter 4. A (great) deal of : Developments in 19th-century British and Australian English 49
  9. Chapter 5. ‘ but a[h] Hellen d[ea]r sure you have it more in your power in every respect than I have ’ – Discourse marker sure in Irish English 73
  10. Chapter 6. Scotland’s contribution to English vocabulary in Late Modern times 95
  11. Chapter 7. Early immigrant English 115
  12. Chapter 8. African American English in nineteenth-century Liberia 139
  13. Part II. Processes of change in Present Day English
  14. Chapter 9. Attitudes to flat adverbs and English usage advice 159
  15. Chapter 10. The modal auxiliary verb may and change in Irish English 183
  16. Chapter 11. Levelling processes and social changes in a peripheral community 203
  17. Chapter 12. The goose vowel in South African English with special reference to Coloured communities in 5 cities 227
  18. Chapter 13. Borders and language 247
  19. Index 261
Processes of Change
This chapter is in the book Processes of Change
https://doi.org/10.1075/silv.21.04cla

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Processes of change in Late Modern English
  6. Chapter 2. Enregisterment and historical sociolinguistics 7
  7. Chapter 3. The obelisk and the asterisk 1
  8. Chapter 4. A (great) deal of : Developments in 19th-century British and Australian English 49
  9. Chapter 5. ‘ but a[h] Hellen d[ea]r sure you have it more in your power in every respect than I have ’ – Discourse marker sure in Irish English 73
  10. Chapter 6. Scotland’s contribution to English vocabulary in Late Modern times 95
  11. Chapter 7. Early immigrant English 115
  12. Chapter 8. African American English in nineteenth-century Liberia 139
  13. Part II. Processes of change in Present Day English
  14. Chapter 9. Attitudes to flat adverbs and English usage advice 159
  15. Chapter 10. The modal auxiliary verb may and change in Irish English 183
  16. Chapter 11. Levelling processes and social changes in a peripheral community 203
  17. Chapter 12. The goose vowel in South African English with special reference to Coloured communities in 5 cities 227
  18. Chapter 13. Borders and language 247
  19. Index 261
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