English Linguistics Work-in-Progress Seminar

Abstract              

The purpose of this study is to contribute to our understanding of the emergence of the progressive aspect and form in English through the means of the ing-suffix and the BE-verb copula (based on the definition in Quirk et al. 1985), for instance (1) “I am writing” or (2) “She is running”. The primary aim of my study is therefore to investigate the frequency and distribution of the progressive aspect and form in Celtic Englishes during the 19th century. This will be done by answering the following main research question: (1) Does the progressive aspect in English have roots in the Celtic languages? To answer this, the following subsidiary research questions will also be considered: (i) What is the distribution and frequency of the progressive construction in Celtic Englishes during the 19th century? (ii) What other patterns can be seen in the usage of the progressive when investigating the construction from the perspective of comparative and correlational linguistics? (iii) What usages can be identified when looking at the progressive construction from the perspective of discourse analysis, focusing on pragmatics?