Passive constructions in Fiji English: A corpus-based study

Abstract

Inner circle varieties of English seem to show variation in the usage of the getpassive, i.e. in constructions such as He got hurt. It is claimed that the get-passive is more frequently used in American English than in British English, while Australian English and New Zealand English hold an intermediate position (Sussex 1982: 90; Hundt 1998: 78; Hundt et al. 2008: 327f). As an alternative strategy the be-passive can be used (He was hurt). It is equally interesting to check usage, form and frequency of be-passives to see whether some regional variation can be found. Fiji English is a variety of English as a second language spoken in Fiji both by Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Previous studies on concord patterns, perfect constructions and the mandative subjunctive (Biewer 2008a, 2008b, forthcoming) suggest that Fiji English has been developing under the influence of second language acquisition, Fijian, angloversals and the exonormative influence of inner circle varieties of English, in particular New Zealand English. This paper will focus on get-passives and be-passives in Fiji English to gain some insight into the differences and similarities in the usage of the passive in Fiji English, British English and New Zealand English. Data will be taken from a preliminary version of ICE-Fiji. A review of the progress of the compilation of ICE-Fiji will be given and its (current) suitability for such a study will be considered. The results will be discussed as a further step towards a corpus-based description of the grammar of Fiji English.