CORPUS-BASED ANALYSIS OF SYNTACTIC CHANGES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Keywords:
corpus linguistics, syntactic change, English syntax, word order, clausal structure, grammaticalization, register variation, digital communicationAbstract
This article presents a comprehensive corpus-based investigation of syntactic changes in contemporary English across multiple registers and varieties. Drawing on data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English, the British National Corpus, the Corpus of Global Web-Based English, and specialized corpora of digital communication spanning 1990-2024, the study identifies significant transformations in clausal structure, word order patterns, and grammatical relations. The analysis reveals accelerated change in informal registers, particularly digital communication, with evidence of spreading influence on formal written norms. Key findings include increased use of verbless fragments, right-dislocation patterns, and innovative complementation structures. The study demonstrates that English syntax is more dynamic than traditionally assumed, with implications for syntactic theory, language pedagogy, and natural language processing.
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