Linguistics
- Grammatical Functions of English Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
Traditional grammars define prepositions as words that “link to other words, phrases, and clauses” and that “express spatial or temporal relations.”...
Heather JohnsonMarch 5, 2013 - The Conjunct Adverbial in English Grammar
Conjunct adverbials are words and phrases that express textual relationships and serve to link clauses. Only one grammatical form can perform...
Heather JohnsonFebruary 22, 2013 - The Disjunct Adverbial in English Grammar
Disjunct adverbials are words and phrases that provide additional information to frame an entire clause, which denotes the attitude of the...
Heather JohnsonFebruary 21, 2013 - The Adjunct Adverbial in English Grammar
Adjunct adverbials are words, phrases, and clauses that modify an entire clause by providing additional information about time, place, manner, condition,...
Heather JohnsonFebruary 20, 2013 - Phrasal Verbs: The Elephant Is a Whole, Not Its Parts
Although grammatical relationships among forms of lexemes are expressed through either inflection or periphrasis, English is a highly periphrastic language. According...
Heather JohnsonJanuary 23, 2012 - Complex Sentences: Subordinate Clauses as Adverb Clauses
Simple sentences such as The fire glowed and Extremely frigid fall winds chilled my sweater-loving puppy of small stature to his...
Heather JohnsonDecember 11, 2011 - I’m Right About Ain’t Ain’t a Word, Aren’t I?: Prescriptive Grammar Rules and English Contractions
The question of “what is a word” is not a matter of making appearances in prestigious dictionaries (which, by the way,...
Heather JohnsonDecember 3, 2011 - You Left Your Rs in the 1700s: Received Pronunciation Versus Extra-Insular Englishes
When the Royal Society unsuccessfully attempted to establish a formal language academy in England in 1664, lexicographers and grammarians from the...
Heather JohnsonNovember 29, 2011 - With or Without a Complement: The Form and Function of Prepositions
“Prepositions are not words to end sentences with” reads the joke commenting on a prescriptive grammar rule for prepositions. According to...
Heather JohnsonNovember 27, 2011 - Witchy Speech
Witches and wizards found in fantasy literature reveal themselves as magical not only through their actions and outward appearances but also...
Heather JohnsonNovember 16, 2011 - I Type How I Sound: E-Language and Phonetic Spelling
The English language changed dramatically with the introduction of the printing press into England in 1476 because of the development of...
Heather JohnsonNovember 14, 2011 - Viking and Norman Influences on the English Language
During the eighth and ninth centuries, Vikings from Scandinavia from the North attacked the Germanic tribes living in England (Smith “External”)....
Heather JohnsonNovember 10, 2011 - Greek Loanwords in English
The English language has borrowed extensively from the Greek language beginning during the Germanic period when many words borrowed from Latin...
Heather JohnsonNovember 9, 2011 - Latin Loanwords in English
The English language has borrowed extensively from the Latin language beginning during the Germanic period before English was English through the...
Heather JohnsonNovember 8, 2011 - Borrow or Develop?: Enriching the English Vocabulary
When William Caxton introduced the printing press to England in 1476, English developed into a physical entity (Smith “Early”). Language no...
Heather JohnsonNovember 7, 2011