A corpus-based investigation into key words and key patterns in post-war fiction
Autor(en): | Siepmann, Dirk | Stichwörter: | Language & Linguistics; Linguistics | Erscheinungsdatum: | 2015 | Herausgeber: | JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING CO | Journal: | FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE | Volumen: | 22 | Ausgabe: | 3 | Startseite: | 362 | Seitenende: | 399 | Zusammenfassung: | This study is an exploratory investigation into lexico-grammatical items specific to a large corpus of English-language post-war novels, as compared to corpora of conversation, news and academic English. Its overall aim is threefold: first, to show how the subjective impression of `literariness' arising from fictional works is at least partly based on the statistically significant use of highly specific words and lexico-grammatical configurations; second, to attempt a broad classification of key words and patterns; third, to illustrate the fiction-specific patterns formed by three key words. Analysis proceeded in three steps. First, a key word analysis was performed. In the second step, all two-to-five word strings contained in the English corpus were generated. In the third step, multi-word strings, collocations and colligations associated with three English key words ('thought', `sun' and `jerk') were analysed. Results indicate that post-war fiction is characterized by the dense use of specific sets of key words and key patterns, such as multi-word strings (must have been), phrase frames (like a NP, there was a NP) colligations (PossDet thoughts were on NP), collocations (the strengthening sun) and lexically specific narrative patterns (PossDet thoughts were interrupted when/as time clause). The patterns in question are shown to be interconnected through a complex web of analogical creations. Implications are discussed for theories of literature, lexicology and translation. |
ISSN: | 0929998X | DOI: | 10.1075/fol.22.3.03sie |
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geprüft am 17.05.2024