A corpus-based lexico-grammatical analysis of the Limerick corpus of Irish English (L-CIE) : some nominal and verbal features

This study proposes to use a corpus-based approach to identify and evaluate some of the discrete features of spoken Southern Irish English. The features to be analysed were chosen on the basis that they were identified in the secondary literature, predominantly Harris (1993) and Filppula (1999) and are considered by those working in the field to be representative of the forms that make SIE a distinct variety of English. The study is corpus-based. This allows the researcher to use actual incidences of speech from contemporary speakers of Southern Irish English, thus allowing for an empirical approach to the research whereby physical evidence rather than intuition is the basis for the findings. The corpus to be used, The Limerick Corpus of Irish English, containing one million words of transcribed contemporary Southern Irish English casual conversation, is sufficiently large to verify the contemporary usage of most of the patterns of Southern Irish English. The study is limited to certain non-standard forms occurring in the verb phrase, the noun phrase, the complex sentence, and in indirect questions. The research finds that, to differing degrees, these forms are all to be found in L-CIE and thus can be said to be in current usage in the genre of casual conversation in IE. The forms analysed are as follows: 3.2 The Noun Phrase 3.2.1 The definite article (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.2.2 Demonstratives (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.2.3 Plural of quantity nouns (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.2.4 Pronouns (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.3 The Verb Group 3.3.1 Strong verbs (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.3.2 Subject-verb agreement (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.3.3. Imperatives (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.3.4 The perfect aspect (Kallen 1990; Harris 1991, 1993; Filppula 1997, 1999). 3.3.5 Habitual aspect (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.4 The Complex Sentence and Indirect Questions 3.4.1 Subordinating and (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.4.2 Verb complement clauses (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999). 3.4.3 Indirect questions (Harris 1993; Filppula 1999).