Complementation of ditransitive verbs in South Asian Englishes: a multifactorial analysis

Abstract

This paper examines parallels and differences between South Asian Englishes and British English with regard to various factors driving the selection of verb-complementation patterns. Focusing on the prototypical ditransitive verb give and its complementation, we use large web-derived corpora and distinguish between two possible response cases, one based on the dative and prepositional construction (i.e. the dative alternation), the other including monotransitive complementation. Our data has been additionally coded for a number of potential driving factors, such as pronominality and discourse accessibility of the participants in the constructions. Applying a model-exploration technique we isolate the main driving factors for the varieties under scrutiny (Indian English, Pakistani English and British English) and analyze their influence on pattern selection based on a multinomial logistic regression formulation. Our findings show that, while there is a large area of overlap between the varieties, Pakistani English is closer to British English with regard to relevant driving factors than Indian English. Furthermore, we reveal interesting parallels between all three varieties in the use of monotransitive complementation.

Attitudes towards Englishes in India

“…on the predictors of the dative alternation, cf. Schilk et al 2013;Bernaisch et al 2014) tend to show cross-varietal similarities (cf. Gries & Mukherjee 2010: 537f).…”

Taking Stock to Look Ahead: Celebrating Forty Years of English Studies in Spain

“…Later studies on the same constructions, by Muhkerjee andGries (2009), Bernaisch (2013), Schilk et al (2013), and Gries and Bernaisch (2016), among others, included other South Asian varieties. The results corroborate that, depending on the evolutionary stage, structural nativization can be observed in verb-construction associations: the more advanced the evolutionary stage of a variety, the more these associations differ from the ones found in the input variety.…”

Verb Complementation in News Headlines by the Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles

“…They, however, said that the monotransitive and intransitive verbs in BE have the same preferences in the Asian English variety and BE's use of ditransitive verbs is highly varied as compared to the other group. Strengthening the idea, Schilk, Mukherjee, J., Nam, and Mukherjee, S. (2013) accounted similarities and differences on the level of verb-complementation among the Englishes in South Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka). Specifically, they focused on the complementation of ditransitive verbs.…”