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1 - Calling Englishes As Complex Dynamic Systems: Diffusion and Restructuring

from Part I - Pooling Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2020

By
Edgar W. Schneider
Edited by
Anna Mauranen  and
Svetlana Vetchinnikova
Anna Mauranen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Svetlana Vetchinnikova
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
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Summary

This paper advocates the theory of 'Complex Dynamic Systems', developed in the sciences as a suitable framework for the understanding of the evolution of varieties and uses of English through time and space. After looking into earlier applications of this theory in linguistics, it surveys core properties of such systems and illustrates their relevance by applications to specific processes of change in the history of English. It then investigates processes of lexicosemantic diffusion and syntactic restructuring in World Englishes within this framework, trying to document its applicability.

Keywords

Complex Adaptive Systemschaos theoryWorld EnglishesS-curveInternational Corpus of English (ICE)diffusionlexicosemanticsrestructuringcall as construction
Type
Chapter
Information
Language Change
The Impact of English as a Lingua Franca
 , pp. 15 - 43
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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