Language Use and Socio-linguistic Awareness: An Investigation of Grammatical Changes in Irish English

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02694
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Meikai University
• Principal Investigator: Shimada Tamami 明海大学, 外国語学部, 教授 (80565383)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 言語接触 / 言語意識 / アイルランド英語 / 英語諸変種 / 文法 / 言語とアイデンティティ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project has addressed contact-induced grammar formation, the sociolinguistic awareness and language use of speakers, and language contact, drawing on the study of Hiberno-English/Irish English(HE).The central result is “Eigo toiu Sentaku: Ireland no Ima”(lit.The choice of the English language: Ireland today, Tokyo:Iwanami). My fieldwork in Southwest Ireland provided data to analyse the present status of various grammatical features and speakers’ awareness and attitudes. Other publicised works include the papers “Speakers' awareness and the use of do be vs. be after in Hiberno-English”(World Englishes 35, 2016) and''Tis… pattern in Hiberno-English as a grammatical innovation”(TULIP 39, 2018). The former investigates the interface of social and linguistic factors, providing theoretical perspectives on the role of speakers. The latter suggests that HE has inherited from Irish grammatical opposition for mapping information structure and has imposed it into English morphosyntax.

Free Research Field

言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学術的意義として、言語接触による文法形成の研究への貢献、さらに他の諸理論や事例研究との有機的関連のもとに、言語変化のメカニズムの解明に寄与することが期待できる。社会的意義として、共編著書『言語接触―英語化する日本語から考える「言語とはなにか」』で一つの試みをおこなったように、今日的な意味合いをますます帯びている言語接触について一般の人たちと基礎的な理解を共有すること、本研究で得た知見を言語教育等に活かすことがある。