Abstract
The main goal of this article is to investigate the distribution of two apparently vying finite complementation patterns—if and whether clauses—accompanying three mental verbs (see, wonder, and know) in the MICASE corpus of spoken academic American English. The default introspective theoretical assumption that the two investigated complementizers are in a free distribution was not corroborated by the empiricical inquiry. The three verbs do evince linguistic preferences regarding complementation, preferences which depend on a number of factors: the valency pattern of a given verb, co(n)text, sub-genre, and the like. Moreover, the investigation also appears to have demonstrated that, in respect to the complementation of see, wonder, and know, spoken academic English bears a greater resemblance to everyday conversation than to written academic English, thus corroborating the contention that field prevails over mode (to employ Hallidayan parlance). Furthermore, the inquiry into the semantics of the three mental verbs investigated indicates that their meanings are affected by the genre, inasmuch as the verbs investigated tend to depart from their default dictionary definitions by conveying less-prototypical meanings. This finding, in turn, provides a rationale for probing into the pragmatics and functions of the three verbs. It must be stressed that the results should not be generalised due to the relatively small corpus size, which implies that further research is indicated.
Highlights
MOKSLINIST ĘS TINISLEIDINYS Leidžia Vilniaus universiteto Kauno humanitarinis fakultetas ir Jano Kochanovskio universiteto Humanitarinis fakultetas Kielcuose du kartus per metus
The high occurrence of know followed by if-clauses prompted the present investigator to check whether its overall deployment throughout the corpus reflected its usage in the prototypical academic subgenre, i.e., small and large lectures, with a view to casting some light on how formal prototypical spoken academic English is in respect of the employment of if versus whether complement clauses
The present investigation appears to corroborate this claim, inasmuch as the apparently alternative complementation patterns of if and whether complement clauses exhibit drastically divergent preferences for the complementation of the three mental verbs investigated—see, wonder, and know. This is a finding which would likely have yielded inaccurate results had only introspective judgements been drawn on. This implies that having recourse to a corpus-based analysis has provided us with information concerning thepreferred complementation patterns of see, wonder, and know with if- and whether-clauses
Summary
MOKSLINIST ĘS TINISLEIDINYS Leidžia Vilniaus universiteto Kauno humanitarinis fakultetas ir Jano Kochanovskio universiteto Humanitarinis fakultetas Kielcuose du kartus per metus (balandžio 25 d. ir spalio 25 d.). MOKSLINIST ĘS TINISLEIDINYS Leidžia Vilniaus universiteto Kauno humanitarinis fakultetas ir Jano Kochanovskio universiteto Humanitarinis fakultetas Kielcuose du kartus per metus Mokslo sritys: gramatika, semantika, semiotika, sintaksė (H 352), bendroji ir lyginamoji literatūra, literatūros kritika, literatūros teorija (H 390). CZASOPISMO NAUKOWE Wydawcy: Uniwersytet Wileński – Wydział Humanistyczny w Kownie oraz Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego – Wydział Humanistyczny w Kielcach. Podstawowe języki: polski, litewski, angielski i rosyjski. Research areas: grammar, semantics, semiotics, syntax (H 352), general and comparative literature, literary criticism, literary theory (H 390). The journal accepts articles and correspondence written in English, Lithuanian, Polish, and Russian. Frei zugängliche E-Journals Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg Naukowe i branżowe polskie czasopisma elektroniczne Biblioteka Uniwersytetu Śląskiego Russian Language, Literature and Cultural Studies
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