This paper sets out to examine the use of the adjectives "drunk" and "drunken". According to the Oxford English Dictionary the definition of "drunk" is "Affected by alcohol to the extent of losing control of one’s faculties or behaviour", and that of "drunken" reads "Drunk or intoxicated". Consequently, their use on the lexical level seems to be the same and, therefore, interchangeable. Both expressions are used in temporary English and are not antiquated. Thus, the question may arise whether other factors determine the application of each of these adjectives.
The field of sociolinguistics deals with such questions of variation in language or more precisely in the use of different expression denotating the same meaning, while it does not simply assess different utterances as either correct or incorrect. Sociolinguists like Sali Tagliamonte rather examine language influencing variables like discourse features, social patterns or linguistic patterns, of which the two latter ones will serve as the investigative frame of the two adjectives "drunk" and "drunken".
In order to probe thoroughly into the usage of these two words, this paper, firstly, delivers a look into previous research on, and into the theoretical background of the respective adjectives. Secondly, the original data, namely the British National Corpus, and the gained random samples from this corpus are characterized, whereafter the methodology of coding for social (accent, sex and social grade) and linguistic (various syntactic functions) features is explained. The results and analysis of this coding for factors which may influence the usage of "drunk" and "drunken" are, thirdly, presented quantitatively and qualitatively in the two sections of social patterns and of linguistic patterns. These two analyses are discussed separately as well as in view of the respective other patterns to gain the deepest possible insight into the findings of this linguistic research. Finally, this paper is completed by a conclusion, which rounds off the linguistic intention to examine whether social and linguistic variables influence the usage or preference of the synonymous adjectives "drunk" and "drunken".
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Previous research/theoretical background
3. Data and methodology
3.1 Data
3.2 Methodology
4. Results and analysis
4.1 Results and analysis of social patterns
4.2 Results and analysis of linguistic patterns
4.2.1 Quantitative results
4.2.2 Qualitative analysis
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study aims to investigate the sociolinguistic usage of the adjectives "drunk" and "drunken" to determine if social or linguistic variables influence a speaker's preference for one term over the other. The research explores whether these synonymous adjectives are truly interchangeable or if their application is governed by syntactic function and the nature of the modified noun.
- Sociolinguistic analysis of lexical variation
- Influence of social variables: dialect, gender, and social class
- Syntactic distribution: attributive versus predicative use
- Corpus-based methodology using the British National Corpus (BNC)
- Classification of modified nouns (abstract, common, proper, etc.)
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.2 Qualitative analysis
The most interesting findings to point out and discuss in detail are those of the (pro-)noun types modified by drunk and drunken. Firstly, the distinction between abstract and common nouns is not as clear-cut as depicted by some grammarians like the authors of the reference theory (Biber, Conrad and Leech 2002: 56-61). Example (1) of the random samples illustrates the difficulties arising in the categorization as a rage is per definition not a concrete, touchable object, but one certainly can hear and see it. After some doubts, it is nevertheless classified as abstract:
(1) a petty officer in a drunken rage (BNC B3J:1042).
When it comes to the few instances of gerunds, is it worth noting that all six cases are the same noun, namely driving. This gerund is always modified by drunken, never by drunk, which hints at a conventional collocation as a comparatively established word combination and is thus defined by grammarians like Bartsch (2004: 11) in her studies of English collocations. Examples from the samples are given in the sentences (2) and (3):
(2) Pact penalties against drunken driving bring in force. (BNC ABS:604)
(3) charge will merely be drunken driving. (BNC ACJ:904)
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: Outlines the linguistic premise that "drunk" and "drunken" are synonymous and presents the research goal of identifying factors influencing their usage.
2. Previous research/theoretical background: Reviews existing sociolinguistic literature on social variables and grammatical theories regarding adjective positioning.
3. Data and methodology: Describes the selection of data from the British National Corpus and the criteria used for coding social and linguistic features.
4. Results and analysis: Presents quantitative and qualitative findings, indicating that syntactic function has a stronger influence on usage than social variables.
5. Discussion: Evaluates the findings against established linguistic claims and highlights the clear distribution of the adjectives based on their function in a sentence.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings and suggests that while social influence remains unclear due to corpus limitations, the syntactic influence is significant.
Keywords
Sociolinguistics, drunk, drunken, British National Corpus, syntax, attributive, predicative, adjective, collocations, linguistic variation, corpus analysis, social class, gender, dialects, grammar
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research paper?
The paper examines the usage patterns of the adjectives "drunk" and "drunken" in modern British English to determine if they are interchangeable or if specific factors dictate their choice.
What are the central thematic fields?
The study focuses on sociolinguistics, specifically looking at how social factors (dialect, gender, social class) and linguistic factors (syntax and noun modification) influence word choice.
What is the primary research goal?
The aim is to identify whether social or linguistic variables exert a statistically significant influence on the speaker's preference for using "drunk" versus "drunken".
Which scientific method is applied?
The author uses a corpus-based quantitative and qualitative analysis, extracting random samples from the British National Corpus (BNC) and coding them according to specific syntactic and social parameters.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section details the methodology of coding, presents the frequencies of usage for both adjectives, and analyzes their syntactic behavior (attributive vs. predicative) and the types of nouns they modify.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Core keywords include sociolinguistics, adjective variation, British National Corpus, syntax, collocations, and corpus analysis.
Why did the author conclude that social variables were not measurable?
The author found that the British National Corpus contains insufficient coded entries for the social variables of dialect, sex, and social class, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about their impact.
What did the study reveal about the word "drunken"?
The analysis showed that "drunken" is used almost exclusively in an attributive function, often preceding common nouns, and specifically appearing in the collocation "drunken driving".
How does "drunk" differ from "drunken" in terms of syntactic use?
The research demonstrates that "drunk" is predominantly used in a predicative position and as a free modifier, often in proximity to pronouns, whereas "drunken" is strongly associated with attributive use.
- Quote paper
- Giulia Rossi (Author), 2017, "Drunk" or "drunken". A sociolinguistic research on two adjectives, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/476695
