A Cognitive Sociolinguistic Study on the English Comparative Constructions

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00659
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02080:English linguistics-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Shibuya Yoshikata 金沢大学, 歴史言語文化学系, 准教授 (70450690)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 英語比較級構文 / 分析化 / 言語変化 / レジスター / コーパス / 構文

Outline of Final Research Achievements

World languages are sometimes classified into analytic and synthetic languages. In linguistic typology and historical linguistics, English has long been considered to be changing from a synthetic to an analytic language (i.e., 'analyticization'). In this study, I examined English comparative constructions, which are known to exhibit analyticization. More specifically, variables such as register and dialect, in addition to constructional properties and synchronicity/diachronicity, were investigated using corpora. The study revealed that several factors, such as register, constructional properties, and dialects, are involved in the analyticization of English comparative constructions.

Free Research Field

英語学、認知言語学、コーパス言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究によって、分析化現象がレジスターや方言などに深く根ざした現象であることが実証的に明らかになった。このことは、分析化現象だけでなく、言語変化自体にとっても重要な意味を持つ。本研究の成果により、自然言語の使用のなされ方や言語変化のメカニズムについて深い理解が得られたが、これは人と言語の関係を理解する上で重要だと思われる。