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Part of
Explorations in English Historical Syntax
Edited by Hubert Cuyckens, Hendrik De Smet, Liesbet Heyvaert and Charlotte Maekelberghe
[Studies in Language Companion Series 198] 2018
► pp. 203–234

Chapter 8
Complexity and genre distribution of left-dislocated strings after the fixation of SVO syntax

| Universidade de Vigo
This paper investigates the diachronic development of strings that include both a left-dislocated constituent and a coreferring resumptive in the subsequent clause, thus resembling the reportedly speech-like and informal contemporary Left Dislocation construction. The data is analyzed according to a range of factors relating to the inner configuration of such strings and examined by means of the pertinent statistical tests. The purpose is to arrive at a clearer and broader picture of (i) the general decline of left-dislocated strings, (ii) the factors determining their structural complexity, and (iii) their role as prospective markers of orality in Modern English speech-related texts.
Keywords: Left Dislocation, complexity, orality, genre, Modern English
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.A brief historical survey of LD
  • 3.Goals and hypotheses
    • 3.1Factors that determine the complexity of the LDed constituent
    • 3.2The link between less complex LDed items and speech-related genres
  • 4.Data and methodology
    • 4.1Determining the length of the LDed constituent
      • 4.1.1Dependent variable: Length of the LDed constituent
      • 4.1.2Predictor variables
        • Intervening material
        • Augmentation
        • Punctuation
        • Form of the resumptive
        • Position of the resumptive
        • Genre cluster
        • Period
    • 4.2Exploring the link between speech-related genres and complexity of the LDed constituent
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1The diachrony of LD: An overview
    • 5.2Results from the linear model: Complexity of the LDed constituent
    • 5.3Results from univariate statistical tests: Orality and genre
  • 6.Discussion and concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 August 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.198.09tiz
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