Word-formation in New Englishes
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Thomas Biermeier
Abstract
This article reports on a corpus-based study (of the International Corpus of English ICE) comparing seven new varieties of English as to their word-formation properties and trends. First, the article outlines different methods of determining the extent of use and productivity rate of any given word-formation category. To point out systematic differences between the new varieties, I then analyze categories such as compounding, conversion and affixation by comparing frequencies obtained by specifically devised tests. On a qualitative level, the numerous new coinages found in ICE are evidence of the varieties’ productive potential. Furthermore, the paper contains a wide range of variants to express gender. Finally, I demonstrate that the current lexical trends and systematic differences indicate independent developments in New Englishes.
Abstract
This article reports on a corpus-based study (of the International Corpus of English ICE) comparing seven new varieties of English as to their word-formation properties and trends. First, the article outlines different methods of determining the extent of use and productivity rate of any given word-formation category. To point out systematic differences between the new varieties, I then analyze categories such as compounding, conversion and affixation by comparing frequencies obtained by specifically devised tests. On a qualitative level, the numerous new coinages found in ICE are evidence of the varieties’ productive potential. Furthermore, the paper contains a wide range of variants to express gender. Finally, I demonstrate that the current lexical trends and systematic differences indicate independent developments in New Englishes.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Series editor’s preface ix
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction xv
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1. Focus on
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1.1 Africa
- Deracialising the GOOSE vowel in South African English 3
- Codifying Ghanaian English 19
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1.2 The Caribbean
- Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics 39
- Rhoticity in educated Jamaican English 61
- Standard English in the secondary school in Trinidad 83
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1.3 Australia and New Zealand
- Australian English as a regional epicenter 107
- Finding one’s own vowel space 125
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1.4 Asia
- Language in Hong Kong 143
- The roles of English in Southeast Asian legal systems 155
- Not just an “Outer Circle”, “Asian” English 179
- “Where’s the party yaar !” 207
- Innovation in second language phonology 227
- Intelligibility assessment of Japanese accents 239
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2. The global perspective
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2.1 Comparative studies
- World Englishes between simplification and complexification 265
- Global feature — local norms? 287
- The shared core of the perfect across Englishes 309
- Word-formation in New Englishes 331
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2.2 New approaches
- The indigenization of English in North America 353
- Perspectives on English as a lingua franca 369
- A discourse-historical approach to the English native speaker 385
- World Englishes and Peace Sociolinguistics 407
- New voices in the canon 415
- Index 433
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Series editor’s preface ix
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction xv
-
1. Focus on
-
1.1 Africa
- Deracialising the GOOSE vowel in South African English 3
- Codifying Ghanaian English 19
-
1.2 The Caribbean
- Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics 39
- Rhoticity in educated Jamaican English 61
- Standard English in the secondary school in Trinidad 83
-
1.3 Australia and New Zealand
- Australian English as a regional epicenter 107
- Finding one’s own vowel space 125
-
1.4 Asia
- Language in Hong Kong 143
- The roles of English in Southeast Asian legal systems 155
- Not just an “Outer Circle”, “Asian” English 179
- “Where’s the party yaar !” 207
- Innovation in second language phonology 227
- Intelligibility assessment of Japanese accents 239
-
2. The global perspective
-
2.1 Comparative studies
- World Englishes between simplification and complexification 265
- Global feature — local norms? 287
- The shared core of the perfect across Englishes 309
- Word-formation in New Englishes 331
-
2.2 New approaches
- The indigenization of English in North America 353
- Perspectives on English as a lingua franca 369
- A discourse-historical approach to the English native speaker 385
- World Englishes and Peace Sociolinguistics 407
- New voices in the canon 415
- Index 433
