The Cognitive Foundation of Post-colonial Englishes

Erscheinungsjahr 2021
ISBN: 978-1-108-82923-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 75 Seiten, Paperback, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 114 g

Reihe: Elements in World Englishes

Varieties of English are spoken all over the world from Africa to Asia, from Europe to America. In addition to its use as a foreign language, English in many of these countries is a first or second language variety that initially arose in a colonial setting. Currently, the most influential sociolinguistic model for the evolution of these 'Post-Colonial Englishes' is the Dynamic Model. In this Element, I outline how Construction Grammar, the most prominent cognitive syntactic theory, can provide a cognitive foundation for the assumptions made by the Dynamic Model. As I shall argue, Construction Grammar naturally complements the Dynamic Model and, in addition to that, a 'Constructionist Grammar Approach to the Dynamic Model' approach generates new research questions concerning the productivity of syntactic patterns across Dynamic Model phases.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hoffmann, Thomas

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Soziolinguistik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction; 2. The Dynamic Model and Construction Grammar; 3. Data and Methodology; 4. Sample Studies; 6. Conclusion.