Non-Canonical English Syntax: Concepts, Methods, and Approaches (Studies in English Language)

The term non-canonical syntax generally refers to deviations from 'typical' word order. These represent a fascinating phenomenon in natural language use. With contributions from a team of renowned scholars, this book presents a range of case-studies on non-canonical syntax across historical, register-based, and non-native varieties of English. Each chapter investigates a different non-canonical construction and assesses to what extent it can be called 'non-canonical' in a theory-based and frequency-based understanding of non-canonical syntax. A range of state-of-the-art methodologies are used, highlighting that an empirical approach to non-canonical syntactic constructions is particularly fruitful. An introduction, a synopsis, a terminological chapter, and three section introductions frame the case studies and present overviews of the theory behind non-canonical syntax and previous work, while also illustrating open questions and opportunities for future research. The volume is essential reading for advanced students of English grammar and researchers working on non-canonical syntax and syntactic variation. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Sven Leuckert is a Research Associate and Post-Doc at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. His publications include Topicalization in Asian Englishes (Routledge, 2019) and Indian Englishes in the Twenty-First Century (with Lange, Bernaisch, and Yurchenko, CUP, 2023).

Teresa Pham is a Research Assistant and Post-Doc at the University of Vechta, Germany. Her notable publications include Intertextuelle Referenzen auf Shakespeare (2014) and, with Leuckert, she led the scientific network 'Syntax Beyond the Canon', funded by the German Research Foundation.