"This volume brings together key players in discourse variation research to offer original analyses of a wide range of discourse-pragmatic variables, such as 'like', 'innit', 'you get me', and 'at the end of the day'. The authors introduce a range of new methods specifically tailored to the study of discourse-pragmatic variation and change in synchronic and longitudinal dialect data, and provide new empirical and theoretical insights into discourse-pragmatic variation and change in contemporary varieties of English. The volume thus enhances our understanding of the complexities of discourse-pragmatic variation and change, and encourages new ways of thinking about variability in discourse-pragmatics. With its dual focus on presenting innovative methods as well as new results, the volume will provide an important resource for both newcomers and veterans alike in the field of discourse variation analysis, and spark discussions that will set new directions for future work in the field"-- Provided by publisher. "Which investigates the use of innit and other negative-polarity interrogative tags in a socially stratified corpus of contemporary London English. By closely investigating variants' positional, scopal, functional and social properties, Pichler uncovers that innit and a small number of its derivationally-equivalent co- variants are rapidly innovating in this variety. Their use is no longer restricted to right-periphery, clause-final positions but extends to the clausal left-periphery and positions adjacent to left-dislocated and lone noun phrases"-- Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.