1. Introduction
First of all, and before I proceed with the actual description and basic layout of my term paper, it would be quite interesting to quote the thesis that roused by interest and became my first motivation concerning the study of a certain grammatical phenomenon in Singaporean English. As English is the most widely used language in the world, and it is used by at least 750 million people in addition to being the mother tongue of about 350 million people, it is therefore characterized by a great deal of variation. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that although these regional varieties differ from each other in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, their grammar is significantly similar (cf. BACHE/ DAVIDSEN 1997: 4). Before we can go on to find out whether this assumption is also verified in the English of Singapore, I will present the main sections of my study.The main and most important part of this term paper is based upon a personal corpus- based study, which should from the start be clearly characterized as relatively restrictive and not quite large in size, in order to avoid any further problems and misunderstandings. This study I mentioned above concerns and tries to closely examine the overall frequencies of get- constructions, and to be more specific, we will try to examine the phenomenon of the get- passive in the English of Singapore, always with the hidden desire to finally come up with a reasonable conclusion towards the end of the paper. In order to succeed in this procedure, after having presented in brief the history of Singapore itself, and later on of the English language in this country, we will try to give some short definitions of the most basic notions, which are used in the following pages. Then, we will proceed in describing the corpora, as well as the methodology used. Moreover, we will point out the problems that automatically arise from this corpus- based study as a whole on the one hand, and from the fact of defining the get- passive itself on the other hand. After making these essential things clear, we will become more familiar with the theories regarding this subject; theories and theses that already exist, they have already been uttered and can be found in various books of grammar of the English language....
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Historical background
2.1 History of Singapore
2.2 History of the English language in Singapore
3. Corpora used
4. Definition of the Get- passive
5. Overall frequencies
5.1 Findings in the ICE-Sin Corpus
5.2 Comparison to previous corpora- based findings
5.3 Is the Get- passive used to express the responsibility of the subject?
5.4 Is the Get- passive used with a by- agent?
6. Conclusion
7. References
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper aims to investigate the grammatical phenomenon of the get-passive within Singaporean English through a corpus-based study. It seeks to determine how frequently get-passive constructions are used in this regional variety, whether they align with theoretical assumptions found in existing British and American English literature, and to examine specific semantic features such as subject responsibility and the presence of a by-agent.
- Frequency analysis of get-passive constructions in Singaporean English.
- Comparative analysis between Singaporean English and established British/American corpora.
- Examination of semantic nuances: Subject responsibility in get-passive clauses.
- Analysis of agentive behavior: The occurrence of by-agents in get-passives.
- Validation of formal vs. informal usage patterns in Singaporean English.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Corpora used
At the very first beginning of the main part of the paper, as we have already mentioned above, we will give the definitions of the following terms. We will define the most central word, namely the term of corpus, as well as the different kinds of corpora that exist, something that will consequently lead us to the description and definition of the corpora that are used in this particular case.
Despite the fact that there are many discussions on how a linguistic corpus should be defined, mainly crucially depending on how broadly one wishes to define it, we will give a rather restricted definition of a corpus (cf. Meyer 2002: xi). For the purposes of this term- paper then, a corpus will be considered a collection of texts or parts of texts upon which some general linguistic analysis can be conducted. In recent times, a corpus has come to be regarded as a body of text made available in computer- readable form for purposes of linguistic analysis (Meyer 2002: xii).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the motivation for the study, the research context, and the specific focus on get-passive constructions in Singaporean English.
2. Historical background: Outlines the socio-historical development of Singapore and the evolution of the English language as an official medium of communication in the country.
3. Corpora used: Defines the concept of a linguistic corpus and describes the specific electronic corpora utilized for the study, including their design and limitations.
4. Definition of the Get- passive: Establishes criteria for identifying 'central' or 'true' get-passives while distinguishing them from semi-passives and pseudo-passives for the analysis.
5. Overall frequencies: Reports the quantitative findings from the ICE-Sin Corpus and compares them with data from other major English corpora regarding frequency, subject responsibility, and agent usage.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the study's findings, acknowledges the limitations of the data, and suggests directions for future research into Singaporean English semantics.
7. References: Lists the academic sources and linguistic literature consulted for the research.
Keywords
Singaporean English, Get-passive, Corpus Linguistics, ICE-Sin, Grammar, Syntax, Semantics, Agentivity, By-agent, Language Variation, Linguistic Frequency, Standard English, Singlish, Comparative Linguistics, Passive Voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research paper?
The paper examines the usage and grammatical characteristics of the get-passive construction specifically within the variety of English spoken in Singapore.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The study covers the historical development of English in Singapore, the definition of the get-passive, frequency distribution across text types, and the semantic role of the subject and agent in passive constructions.
What is the central research question?
The research investigates if the get-passive in Singaporean English behaves similarly to its counterparts in other English varieties, particularly regarding frequency and semantic constraints.
Which methodology is used to collect and analyze the data?
The author uses a corpus-based methodology, specifically analyzing the ICE-Sin (International Corpus of English - Singapore) to extract and categorize tokens of get-passives.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body discusses the definitions of linguistic corpora, the technical classification of passive voice, and presents statistical comparisons between Singaporean English and other international corpora.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Singaporean English, Get-passive, Corpus Linguistics, Syntax, Semantics, and Language Variation.
Why are semi-passives and pseudo-passives excluded from the study?
They are excluded because they do not function as true passive constructions; they lack verbal properties or the ability to be transformed into active structures with a by-agent.
How does the frequency of get-passives in Singaporean English compare to British English?
The study found that the relative frequency of the get-passive in Singaporean English is closer to that of British English (as represented by the FLOB corpus) than to American English.
Does the get-passive in Singaporean English imply subject responsibility?
The data suggests that while the construction is often associated with subject involvement, only 10% of the examined instances explicitly lacked a sense of subject responsibility, supporting the general theory of get-passive usage.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Eleni Papadopoulou (Autor:in), 2005, Get-passive in Singaporean English - A corpus-based study, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/41268
