Article published in:
Linguistic Innovations: Rethinking linguistic creativity in non-native Englishes
Edited by Sandra C. Deshors, Sandra Götz and Samantha Laporte
[International Journal of Learner Corpus Research 2:2] 2016
► pp. 229–251

Towards a process-oriented approach to comparing EFL and ESL varieties

A corpus-study of lexical innovations

| Universität Bremen
This paper adopts a process-oriented approach to comparing EFL and ESL varieties and examines to what extent they are driven by general cognitive processes of language acquisition and production. A comparative corpus-study of lexical innovations in derivational morphology brings to light two general types of innovations: 1) interlingual, L1-based innovations, resulting from cross-linguistic influence, and 2) intralingual, L2-based innovations, resulting from various other processes. While the first type is virtually absent in ESL varieties, it is in the second type where similar types of innovations in EFL and ESL varieties can be observed. The paper argues that these innovations can be explained in terms of several underlying cognitive processes that serve to create and maximise morphological transparency and increase explicitness of form-meaning relations.
Keywords: transparency, word-formation, lexical innovation, explicitness, isomorphism, overaffixation, (overL)regularisation, back-formation, cognitive processes
Published online: 20 October 2016
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijlcr.2.2.05cal
References
Baayen, H. & Schreuder, R
(Eds.) 2003 Morphological Structure in Language Processing. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bamgbose, A
1998 “Torn between the norms: Innovations in World Englishes”, World Englishes 17(1), 1–14. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Balteiro, I
2011 “Awareness of L1 and L2 word-formation. Mechanisms for the development of a more autonomous L2 learner”, Porta Linguarum 151, 25–34.Google Scholar
Baumgardner, R.J
1998 “Word-formation in Pakistani English”, English World-Wide 19(2), 205–246. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Biermeier, T
2008 Word-Formation in New Englishes: A Corpus-based Analysis. Berlin: Lit Verlag.Google Scholar
2009 “Word-formation in New Englishes. Properties and trends”. In T. Hoffmann & L. Siebers (Eds.), World Englishes – Problems, Properties and Prospects: Selected papers from the 13th IAWE conference . Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 331–349. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2014 “Compounding and suffixation in World Englishes”. In S. Buschfeld, T. Hoffmann, M. Huber & A. Kautzsch (Eds.), The Evolution of Englishes: The Dynamic Model and Beyond. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 312–330. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Callies, M
2008 “Easy to understand but difficult to use? Raising constructions and information packaging in the advanced learner variety”. In G. Gilquin, M.B. Diez-Bedmar & S. Papp (Eds.), Linking Contrastive and Learner Corpus Research. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 201–226. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2015 “Effects of cross-linguistic influence in word formation. A comparative learner-corpus study of advanced interlanguage production”. In H. Peukert (Ed.), Transfer Effects in Multilingual Language Development. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 127–143. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Callies, M. & Szczesniak, K
2007 Investigating productive word formation in advanced L2 acquisition. The potential of learner corpora. Paper presented at the 19th International Conference on Foreign and Second Language Acquisition, 16–19 May 2007, Szczyrk/Poland, (Available at http://​www​-user​.uni​-bremen​.de​/~callies​/talks​/Szczyrk2007​.pdf).
Davies, M
2004-. BYU-BNC. Based on the British National Corpus from Oxford University Press. Available at http://​corpus​.byu​.edu​/bnc/.
2008-. The Corpus of Contemporary American English: 450 million words, 1990-present. Available at http://​corpus​.byu​.edu​/coca/.
2013-. Corpus of Global Web-Based English: 1.9 billion words from speakers in 20 countries. Available at http://​corpus​.byu​.edu​/glowbe/.
Davies, M. & Fuchs, R
2015 “Expanding horizons in the study of World Englishes with the 1.9 billion word Global Web-based English Corpus (GloWbE) ”, English World-Wide 36(1), 1–28.Google Scholar
Ellis, R
2008 The Study of Second Language Acquisition. (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Flowerdew, J
2006 “Use of signalling nouns in a learner corpus”, International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 11(3), 85–102. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gilquin, G
2015 “At the interface of contact linguistics and second language acquisition research. New Englishes and Learner Englishes compared”, English World-Wide 36(1), 90–123.Google Scholar
Görlach, M
1989 “Word-formation and the ENL: ESL: EFL distinction”, English World-Wide 10(2), 279–313. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Granger, S., Dagneaux, E., Meunier, F. & Paquot, M
2009 The International Corpus of Learner English. Version 2 (Handbook + CD-ROM). Louvain-la-Neuve: Presses Universitaires de Louvain.Google Scholar
Greenbaum, S
(Ed.) 1996 Comparing English Worldwide: The International Corpus of English. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Hundt, M. & Mukherjee, J
2011 “Introduction: Bridging a paradigm gap”. In J. Mukherjee & M. Hundt (Eds.), Exploring Second-Language Varieties of English and Learner Englishes: Bridging a Paradigm Gap. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1–5. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ishikawa, S
2013 “The ICNALE and sophisticated contrastive interlanguage analysis of Asian Learners of English”. In S. Ishikawa (Ed.), Learner Corpus Studies in Asia and the World, Vol. 11. Kobe: Kobe University Press, 91–118.Google Scholar
Jarvis, S. & Pavlenko, A
2008 Crosslinguistic Influence in Language and Cognition. London: Routledge. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kellerman, E
1983 “Now you see it, now you don’t”. In S.M. Gass & L. Selinker (Eds.), Language Transfer in Language Learning. Rowley: Newbury House, 112–134.Google Scholar
Laporte, S
2012 “Mind the gap! Bridge between World Englishes and Learner Englishes in the making”, English Text Construction 5(2), 265–292. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Li, D.C.S
2010 “When does an unconventional form become an innovation?” In A. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes. London and New York: Routledge, 617–633.Google Scholar
Mesthrie, R
2006 “Anti-deletions in an L2 grammar: A study of Black South African English mesolect”, English World-Wide 27(2), 111–145. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nesselhauf, N
2009 “Co-selection phenomena across New Englishes”, English World-Wide 30(1), 1–26. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Odlin, T
1989 Language Transfer. Cross-Linguistic Influence in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
2015 Online version. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at http://​www​.oed​.com.Google Scholar
Pitzl, M.-L., Breiteneder, A. & Klimpfinger, T
2008 “A world of words: processes of lexical innovation in VOICE”, Vienna English Working Papers 17(2), 21–46.Google Scholar
Schneider, E.W
2003 “The dynamics of new Englishes: From identity construction to dialect birth”, Language 79(2), 233–281. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2012 “Exploring the interface between World Englishes and Second Language Acquisition – and implications for English as a Lingua Franca”, Journal of English as a Lingua Franca 1(1), 57–91. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, D
2012 “Second language varieties of English”. In T. Nevalainen & E. Traugott (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the History of English. Oxford: OUP, 582–591.Google Scholar
Sridhar, K.K. & Sridhar, S.N
1986 “Bridging the paradigm gap: Second language acquisition theory and indigenized varieties of English”, World Englishes 5(1), 3–14. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Steger, M. & Schneider, E.W
2012 “Complexity as a function of iconicity: The case of complement clause constructions in New Englishes”. In B. Kortmann & B. Szmrecsanyi (Eds.), Linguistic Complexity: Second Language Acquisition, Indigenization, Contact. Berlin: de Gruyter, 156–191. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Szmrecsanyi, B
2009 “Typological parameters of intralingual variability: Grammatical analyticity versus syntheticity in varieties of English”, Language Variation and Change 21(3), 319–353. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
VOICE
2009 The Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (Version 1.0 online). Director: Barbara Seidlhofer; Researchers: Angelika Breiteneder, Theresa Klimpfinger, Stefan Majewski, Marie-Luise Pitzl. Available at http://​voice​.univie​.ac​.at.Google Scholar
Williams, J
1987 “Non-native varieties of English: A special case of language acquisition”, English World-Wide 8(2), 161–199. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 7 other publications

ALTUN, Hatice
2021. The Learning Effect of Corpora on Strong and Weak Collocations: Implications for Corpus-Based Assessment of Collocation Competence. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education ► pp. 509 ff. Crossref logo
Deshors, Sandra C.
2017. Structuring subjectivity in Asian Englishes. English Text Construction 10:1 ► pp. 132 ff. Crossref logo
GUT, ULRIKE & ROBERT FUCHS
2017. Exploring speaker fluency with phonologically annotated ICE corpora. World Englishes 36:3 ► pp. 387 ff. Crossref logo
Horch, Stephanie
2019. Complementing corpus analysis with web-based experimentation in research on World Englishes. English World-Wide. A Journal of Varieties of English 40:1 ► pp. 25 ff. Crossref logo
Röthlisberger, Melanie & Benedikt Szmrecsanyi
2019.  In Handbook of the Changing World Language Map, ► pp. 1 ff. Crossref logo
Röthlisberger, Melanie & Benedikt Szmrecsanyi
2020.  In Handbook of the Changing World Language Map, ► pp. 131 ff. Crossref logo
Szmrecsanyi, Benedikt & Melanie Röthlisberger
2019.  In The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes, ► pp. 534 ff. Crossref logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 15 april 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.