Abstract
Both language history and mathematical modeling suggest that the English irregular verbs will generally evolve to become more regular. Yet closer investigation of individual verbs and verb groups shows that evolutionary expectations can be overstated. Data from the ICE-corpora for Australian, New Zealand and British English show differing endorsements of nonstandard forms, whether these are long-established variants as for ring/shrink/spring, or latter-day revivals such as -t for burn, learn, spell. The data put Australian and New Zealand English closer to each other than either is to British. Australian population surveys show that younger citizens are more inclined to use nonstandard/nonstandardized forms. Sociolinguistic and regional preferences may thus run counter to the broad evolutionary trend for English verbs, at least in the short term.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Comparative studies in Australian and New Zealand English |
| Subtitle of host publication | grammar and beyond |
| Editors | Pam Peters, Peter Collins, Adam Smith |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam; Philadelphia |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing |
| Pages | 13-30 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789027289407 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789027248992 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Publication series
| Name | Varieties of English Around the World |
|---|---|
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company |
| Volume | G39 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0172-7362 |
Cite this
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Irregular verbs : regularization and ongoing variability. / Peters, Pam.
Comparative studies in Australian and New Zealand English: grammar and beyond. ed. / Pam Peters; Peter Collins; Adam Smith. Amsterdam; Philadelphia : John Benjamins Publishing, 2009. p. 13-30 (Varieties of English Around the World; Vol. G39).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Research › peer-review
TY - CHAP
T1 - Irregular verbs
T2 - regularization and ongoing variability
AU - Peters, Pam
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Both language history and mathematical modeling suggest that the English irregular verbs will generally evolve to become more regular. Yet closer investigation of individual verbs and verb groups shows that evolutionary expectations can be overstated. Data from the ICE-corpora for Australian, New Zealand and British English show differing endorsements of nonstandard forms, whether these are long-established variants as for ring/shrink/spring, or latter-day revivals such as -t for burn, learn, spell. The data put Australian and New Zealand English closer to each other than either is to British. Australian population surveys show that younger citizens are more inclined to use nonstandard/nonstandardized forms. Sociolinguistic and regional preferences may thus run counter to the broad evolutionary trend for English verbs, at least in the short term.
AB - Both language history and mathematical modeling suggest that the English irregular verbs will generally evolve to become more regular. Yet closer investigation of individual verbs and verb groups shows that evolutionary expectations can be overstated. Data from the ICE-corpora for Australian, New Zealand and British English show differing endorsements of nonstandard forms, whether these are long-established variants as for ring/shrink/spring, or latter-day revivals such as -t for burn, learn, spell. The data put Australian and New Zealand English closer to each other than either is to British. Australian population surveys show that younger citizens are more inclined to use nonstandard/nonstandardized forms. Sociolinguistic and regional preferences may thus run counter to the broad evolutionary trend for English verbs, at least in the short term.
U2 - 10.1075/veaw.g39.02pet
DO - 10.1075/veaw.g39.02pet
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9789027248992
T3 - Varieties of English Around the World
SP - 13
EP - 30
BT - Comparative studies in Australian and New Zealand English
A2 - Peters, Pam
A2 - Collins, Peter
A2 - Smith, Adam
PB - John Benjamins Publishing
CY - Amsterdam; Philadelphia
ER -