The traditional tripartite model of English world-wide has so far ignored one of the most important functions of English today, namely that of a lingua franca between non-native speakers. In integrating ELF into models such as Kachru’s, the question that arises is whether it can count as a variety. Evidence from a corpus-based study of lingua franca English as it is used between European speakers indicates that it is not a non-native variety in the traditional sense. It is suggested here that ELF could be conceptualised as a register, which can be integrated into the variety- and nation-based model only on a functional level.
Abstract Identity construction is group membership construction in that humans bring their individual selves into being by declaring and performing their belonging to in-groups which are constructed in contrast to out-groups, as suggested in Tajfel’s theory of social identity. In parliamentary discourse, the establishment and reinforcement of in- and out-group identities is particularly important, since parliamentary discourse represents an institutionalized arguing game of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ (between political parties). One decisive way in which these group identities are construed and maintained is through the use of face-threatening acts (FTAs), analyzed here in British House of Commons debates on health policy. A taxonomy of FTAs in this context is developed, allowing for an analysis of addressers and addressees, and close interpretation of examples leads to the conclusion that FTAs are used to denigrate the out-group and strengthen in-group identification at the same time.
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Binomials, such as for and against, dead or alive, to have and to hold, can be broadly defined as two words belonging to the same grammatical category and linked by a semantic relationship. They are an important phraseological phenomenon present throughout the history of the English language. This volume offers a range of studies on binomials, their types and functions from Old English through to the present day. Searching for motivations and characteristic features of binomials in a particular genre or writer, the chapters engage with many linguistic levels of analysis, such as phonology or semantics, and explore the important role of translation. Drawing on philological and corpus-linguistic approaches, the authors employ qualitative and quantitative methods, setting the discussion firmly in the extra-linguistic context. Binomials and their extended forms - multinomials - emerge from these discussions as an important phraseological tool, with rich applications and complex motivations.
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