Häcker Martina. Adverbial Clauses in Scots: A Semantic-Syntactic Study

Mouton de Gruyter, 1999. — 321 p. — (Topics in English Linguistics [TiEL] 27). — ISBN 3110156431, 9783110156430.This study presents a comprehensive syntactic and semantic analysis of a geographically balanced corpus of written and spoken texts, in contemporary Scots (including the author's own field recordings), amply illustrated with examples, thus making a major contribution to the field of English dialect grammar.The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics.Scope and MethodologyAims and scope of the present study
The history of Scots
Perceptions of Scots and attitudes towards it
The state of Scottish language studies
The grammar of Scots: A neglected field of linguistic research
Methodology
Data collection and description: preliminary considerations
Spoken and written language
Introspection, elicitation and corpus studies
Dialect in speech and writing
The database: Collection and description
Methods of analysis
Adverbial clauses: Definitions and classifications
The syntactic status of adverbial clauses in grammatical theory
A function-based definition and classification of adverbial clauses
General structural characteristics of adverbial clauses
Clause patterns of adverbial clauses
Finite clauses
-ing clauses
-ed clauses
Verbless clauses
Tae-infmitive clauses
Γ/-infinitive clauses
Bare infinitive clauses viii Table of contents
A function-based definition of adverbial subordinators
The morphological structure of adverbial subordinators
Adverbial clauses and polyfunctionality
Syntactic polyfunctionality
Semantic polyfunctionality
Polyfunctionality and the development of adverbial
subordinators
Description
Semantic categories
Clauses of place
Locative relationships
Definite place
Indefinite place and direction
AIternative constructions
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of time
Temporal relationships
Posteriority
Overlap of main clause situation and subordinate clause situation
Anteriority
Alternative constructions
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of condition
Conditional relationships
Condition proper
Open condition
Presupposed condition
Hypothetical condition
The verb phrase in conditional sentences
Alternative constructions
Rhetorical condition
Alternative condition
Indirect condition
Differences from Standard English Table of contents ix
Clauses of restriction
Relationships of restriction
Restriction of reference
Direct restriction of knowledge
Indirect restriction of knowledge
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of exception
Relationship of exception
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of comparison
Relationships of comparison
Manner
Similarity
Dissimilarity
Indirect comparison
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of preference
Relationship of preference
Alternative constructions
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of concession
Concessive relationships
Alternative constructions
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of reason
Reason relationships
Direct reason
Indirect reason
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of purpose and prevention
Relationships of purpose and prevention
Direct purpose
Prevention
Indirect purpose
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of result
Relationship of result
Alternative constructions
Differences from Standard English
Clauses of means
Relationship of means
Differences from Standard English χ Table of contents
Clauses of accompanying circumstance
Relationship of accompanying circumstance
Differences from Standard English
Analysis
Variability of patterns
Variation within Scots
Regional variation
Written versus spoken Scots
Change in progress
The diachronic perspectiveAdverbial subordinator inventories in English and Scots
A comparison of the formation patterns of adverbial subordinator systems from Old English to present-day English and Scots
The cross-linguistic perspective: Structural comparison
Formation patterns of adverbial subordinators and adverbial clauses in some European languages
The morphological structure of adverbial subordinators in comparison
The cross-linguistic perspective: Semantic comparison
The semantic composition of adverbial subordinator systems
Cognitive semantics and the predictability of subordinator meaning
Summary and conclusion
Variation in Scots: Qualitative and quantitative differences
Scots and Standard English: Qualitative and quantitative differences
Adverbial clauses in Scots: Possible and probable developments
Adverbial clauses in Scots as a case study in dialect syntax
Adverbial clauses in Scots: Implicationsfor linguistic theory
Areas for future research: Some suggestions Table of contents xi
Appendix: The database
The spoken corpus
The written corpus
NotesMaps
A note on maps
Map 1: Scots dialect regions according to the SND
Map 2: Regional divisions based on the present study
Map 3: Regional distribution of spoken texts
Map 4: Regional distribution of written texts
Map 5: Regional distribution of written and spoken texts combined
Author Index
General Index