Clause Initial Null Subjects in Web-based Written Language An Analysis of Eight Varieties of English

Null subjects in English(es) are a phenomenon that has recently received much attention in the specialized literature. However, most studies are based on small datasets and samples of varieties due to the difficulty of extracting null subjects from corpora. The present paper is a first step towards...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of English studies Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 81 - 105
Main Author: Tamaredo, Iván
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Murcia Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia (Murcia University Press) 01.07.2024
Universidad de Murcia, Facultad de Letras
Subjects:
Clauses
Coordination
English
English language
Grammar
Intonation
Language Research
Language varieties
Licenses
Licensing
Linguistics
North American English
Retrieval
Standard Spoken Usage
Syntax
Verbs
World Englishes
Written language
New York
United Kingdom
California
United States
Spain
ISSN:1578-7044, 1989-6131
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Null subjects in English(es) are a phenomenon that has recently received much attention in the specialized literature. However, most studies are based on small datasets and samples of varieties due to the difficulty of extracting null subjects from corpora. The present paper is a first step towards the automatization of the data retrieval process of null subjects and analyzes a much larger sample of cases and varieties than previous research, namely, Australian, Canadian, Jamaican, Singaporean, Nigerian, Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani Englishes. By focusing on referential and non-referential third person singular clause initial null and overt subjects, a variationist examination of the data is conducted by means of mixed-effects logistic regression analyses which shows that non-referential null subjects are a much more pervasive and stable phenomenon in World Englishes than their referential counterparts. In addition, a cline of varieties emerges with respect to referential null subjects: these null subjects are more frequent the more advanced varieties are in Schneider’s Dynamic Model.
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ISSN:1578-7044
1989-6131
DOI:10.6018/ijes.584081