Patterns and Development in the English Clause System

This book examines in detail the forms and functions of clause combination in English. Using a corpus linguistics methodology, it describes how the English clause system currently behaves, how it has developed over the history of the language, and how the features and properties of English clause combination have important theoretical and empirical significance. Adopting the cognitive-functional Adaptive Approach to grammar, it offers a series of interconnected studies that investigate how English clause combination interacts with the properties of coherence and cohesion in discourse across historical time, as well in contemporary language use. This work contributes to the ever-increasing common ground between corpus linguistics and cognitive-functional linguistics, producing new paths for interdisciplinary research.

Examines the emergence and development of the clause hierarchy over the history of English using corpus linguistics Presents original corpus-based research, both diachronic and synchronic, using the major state-ofthe-art English corpora Provides solid empirical evidence for hierarchical organization in the clause system and the Adaptive Approach to grammar Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Dr Clarence Green holds a PhD in linguistics from the University of Melbourne. He is currently a lecturer in Psycholinguistics and Corpus Linguistics at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

Inhalt

1 Approaches to English Grammar.- 2 Clause combination in English.- 3 Gradience in English Clause Combination.- 4 The English Clause Hierarchy over History.- 5 Historical Development according to Genre and Dialect.- 6 Discourse Coherence and Clause Combination.- 7 Isomorphic Development and English Clause Combination.- 8 General Discussion and Evaluation of the Research.