Verb-governed infinitival complementation in the recent history of English

This monograph investigates the variation in relation to a selection of verbs that govern to- and bare-infinitive complements in American and British English,using corpus linguistics and multivariate analyses to account for the forces that influence the choice of infinitival. It deals with morphological,syntactic and semantic/pragmatic variation between to- and bare-infinitive complementation,governed by dare,need and help.

Format: Hardback
Length: 340 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2021
Publisher: Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften

Verb-dependent non-finite complementation, particularly to- and bare-infinitive complement clauses, has been a subject of extensive investigation and debate. This monograph aims to contribute to the existing literature by modeling the variation in relation to a selection of verbs governing to- and bare-infinite complements in the recent history of American and British English.

Utilizing methodologies from corpus linguistics and multivariate analyses, this book endeavors to account for the forces that influence certain verbs to prefer either to-infinitive or bare-infinitive complementation from Middle English onwards. It seeks to provide a comprehensive description of the factors that determine the choice of infinitival.

Specifically, this monograph focuses on morphological, syntactic, and semantic/pragmatic variations between to- and bare-infinitive complementation in English, governed by verbs such as dare, need, and help. By examining these variations, the book aims to shed light on the complex interplay between language change, grammaticalization processes, and the cognitive factors that shape the usage of infinitives in English.

This monograph will be valuable to scholars and researchers in the fields of linguistics, language studies, and applied linguistics, as it offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolution and dynamics of to- and bare-infinitive complementation in English. It provides insights into the factors that drive language change and offers valuable implications for language teaching and learning.

Weight: 552g
Dimension: 225 x 150 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783034342278
Edition number: New ed