Publication
Title
Recent quantitative changes in the use of modals and quasi-modals in the Hong Kong, British and American printed press : exploring the potential of Factiva@ for the diachronic investigation of World Englishes
Author
Abstract
This chapter uses Factiva® to examine recent evolution in the occurrence of verbal modal expressions in the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, in contrast with American and British newspapers. Previous research established that the frequency of the modals is decreasing in both British and American English generally, but increasing within the pages of TIME Magazine. The present research found that American newspaper data on the recent quantitative evolution of the modals parallel the TIME data to a degree, while British newspaper data correspond with data considered to be representative of BrE in its entirety. The quantitative evolutions of both the modals and the quasi-modals in the Hong Kong newspaper resemble the ones in the British newspapers. Keywords: modals and quasi-modals; constructional attrition; newspaper language; HKE; British and American English; Factiva®
Language
English
Source (book)
Grammatical change in English world-wide / Collins, Peter [edit.]
Publication
Amsterdam : Benjamins , 2015
ISBN
9789027203755
DOI
10.1075/SCL.67.18NOE
Volume/pages
p. 437-464
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
VABB-SHW
Record
Identifier
Creation 13.03.2015
Last edited 07.10.2022
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