2 The sociopragmatics of now in corpora of Irish English and Scottish English
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Brian Clancy
Abstract
Descriptions of spoken language based on corpora have sensitised us to the role that small words play in communication in that they are polyfunctional, laden with interpersonal meaning and contextually bound. It can certainly be argued that their general ubiquity in corpus frequency lists is a testament to their inherent multifunctionality. These small items have been shown to be essential to, and sometimes emblematic of, the pragmatic systems of different varieties of English. Now, like so many other pragmatic markers, has been shown to exceed its more generally observed temporal functions when examined across different varieties and contexts. For example, in addition to its canonical temporal and discourse marking functions, now has additional functions as both a pragmatic marker and deictic presentative in spoken Irish English. In the present chapter, a functional classification of now, developed based on evidence from the Limerick Corpus of Irish English, is tested comparatively in relation to both the Ireland component of the International Corpus of English and the Scottish Corpus of Texts and Speech. The chapter takes an iterative approach to the corpus data: randomised samples of concordance lines with now as node (n = 500) are examined in both corpora in order to determine the functions of now. In addition, the chapter utilises the corpus metadata to supplement this analysis with a sociolinguistic profile of the item. Therefore, the chapter aims also to reveal a profile of the users of the marker now as well as what they use it for in both Irish and Scottish English.
Abstract
Descriptions of spoken language based on corpora have sensitised us to the role that small words play in communication in that they are polyfunctional, laden with interpersonal meaning and contextually bound. It can certainly be argued that their general ubiquity in corpus frequency lists is a testament to their inherent multifunctionality. These small items have been shown to be essential to, and sometimes emblematic of, the pragmatic systems of different varieties of English. Now, like so many other pragmatic markers, has been shown to exceed its more generally observed temporal functions when examined across different varieties and contexts. For example, in addition to its canonical temporal and discourse marking functions, now has additional functions as both a pragmatic marker and deictic presentative in spoken Irish English. In the present chapter, a functional classification of now, developed based on evidence from the Limerick Corpus of Irish English, is tested comparatively in relation to both the Ireland component of the International Corpus of English and the Scottish Corpus of Texts and Speech. The chapter takes an iterative approach to the corpus data: randomised samples of concordance lines with now as node (n = 500) are examined in both corpora in order to determine the functions of now. In addition, the chapter utilises the corpus metadata to supplement this analysis with a sociolinguistic profile of the item. Therefore, the chapter aims also to reveal a profile of the users of the marker now as well as what they use it for in both Irish and Scottish English.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 An introduction to sociopragmatic variation 1
-
Part 1: Investigating sociolinguistic variables
- 2 The sociopragmatics of now in corpora of Irish English and Scottish English 11
- 3 Lookit – the story of a pragmatic marker in Irish English 31
- 4 ‘Er, yeah, no, bummer’: An exploration of the ‘new’ discourse pragmatic marker Yeah, No in contemporary Irish English fiction 45
- 5 New speakers of Irish English: Pragmatic and sociophonetic perspectives 69
- 6 Pragmatic markers in Ulster Irish and Irish English 87
- 7 Boring much? Semantic determinants of constructional attraction in Irish English 107
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Part 2: Metapragmatic structures: Identities, styles, and media
- 8 ‘Oh wait and I tell you . . .’: Narratives, pragmatics, and style in ICE-Ireland 133
- 9 Irish identities in a fictional TV series: Mediatised performance of Derry English in Derry Girls 155
- 10 Salutation and leavetaking formulae in 18th-century varieties of English 173
- 11 Automatically detecting directives with SPICE Ireland 205
- 12 Concluding remarks and future directions in studies on sociopragmatic variation 235
- Index 241
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 An introduction to sociopragmatic variation 1
-
Part 1: Investigating sociolinguistic variables
- 2 The sociopragmatics of now in corpora of Irish English and Scottish English 11
- 3 Lookit – the story of a pragmatic marker in Irish English 31
- 4 ‘Er, yeah, no, bummer’: An exploration of the ‘new’ discourse pragmatic marker Yeah, No in contemporary Irish English fiction 45
- 5 New speakers of Irish English: Pragmatic and sociophonetic perspectives 69
- 6 Pragmatic markers in Ulster Irish and Irish English 87
- 7 Boring much? Semantic determinants of constructional attraction in Irish English 107
-
Part 2: Metapragmatic structures: Identities, styles, and media
- 8 ‘Oh wait and I tell you . . .’: Narratives, pragmatics, and style in ICE-Ireland 133
- 9 Irish identities in a fictional TV series: Mediatised performance of Derry English in Derry Girls 155
- 10 Salutation and leavetaking formulae in 18th-century varieties of English 173
- 11 Automatically detecting directives with SPICE Ireland 205
- 12 Concluding remarks and future directions in studies on sociopragmatic variation 235
- Index 241
