 Grounded in linguistic research and argumentation, The English Language: From Sound to Sense offers readers who have little or no analytic understanding of English a thorough treatment of the various components of the language. Its goal is to help readers become independent language analysts capable of critically evaluating claims about the language and the people who use it. Written in a clear style, it guides its readers on topics including basic assumptions about language and discourse, pronunciation, word-formation strategies, parts of speech, clause elements and patterns, how clauses may be combined into sentences, and how clauses and sentences are modified to suit speakers’ and writers’ discourse purposes. The English Language avoids presenting the language as set of arbitrary facts by ground- ing its conclusions in the analytic methods that have characterized the best grammatical and linguistic practices for hundreds of years. Although its perspectives derive from modern-traditional and generative grammar, its goal is to provide its readers with a broad spectrum of basic knowledge about English. Its stance is rigorously descriptive, but the object of its description is the standard variety of the language, thus making it an invalu- able resource compatible with a wide range of purposes, including educated engagement with the language issues that periodically convulse the media and educational institutions. Each chapter contains a glossary of terms, a list of readings, and numerous exercises (many using authentic texts). Gerald P. Delahunty is Associate Professor of Linguistics and English and Assistant Chair of the Colorado State University Department of English, where he teaches courses on all aspects of linguistics and occasional courses on Irish literature. He has published on syntactic theory, English syntax, sociolinguistics, and Irish archaeology. James J. Garvey taught linguistics and literature courses in the English Department at Colorado State University. He died tragically in 2006. P  W Series Editor, Mike Palmquist The WAC Clearinghouse http://wac.colostate.edu/ 816 Robinson Street West Lafayette, IN 47906 www.parlorpress.com S A N: 2 5 4 - 8 8 7 9 ISBN 978-1-60235-180-6    From Sound to Sense           PERSPECTIVES ON WRITING Series Editor, Mike Palmquist PERSPECTIVES ON WRITING Series Editor, Mike Palmquist e Perspectives on Writing series addresses writing studies in a broad sense. Consistent with the wide ranging approaches characteristic of teaching and scholarship in writing across the curriculum, the series presents works that take divergent perspectives on working as a writer, teaching writing, administering writing programs, and studying writing in its various forms. e WAC Clearinghouse and Parlor Press are collaborating so that these books will be widely available through free digital distribution and low- cost print editions. e publishers and the series editor are teachers and researchers of writing, committed to the principle that knowledge should freely circulate. We see the opportunities that new technologies have for further democratizing knowledge. And we see that to share the power of writing is to share the means for all to articulate their needs, interest, and learning into the great experiment of literacy. Existing Books in the Series Charles Bazerman and David R. Russell, Writing Selves/Writing Societies (2003) Charles Bazerman, Adair Bonini, and Débora Figueiredo (Eds.), Genre in a Changing World (2009) David Franke, Alex Reid and Anthony DiRenzo (Eds.), Design Discourse: Composing and Revising the Professional and Technical Writing Curriculum (2010) Gerald P. Delahunty and James Garvey, e English Language: from Sound to Sense (2010) The English Language From Sound to Sense Gerald P. Delahunty James J. Garvey e WAC Clearinghouse wac.colostate.edu Fort Collins, Colorado Parlor Press www.parlorpress.com West Lafayette, Indiana e WAC Clearinghouse, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1052 © 2010 Gerald P. Delahunty Copyeditor, Designer: David Doran Series Editor: Mike Palmquist Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Delahunty, Gerald Patrick. e English language : from sound to sense / Gerald P. Delahunty, James J. Garvey. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60235-180-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-60235-181-3 (adobe eb- ook) 1. Linguistics. 2. Language and languages. 3. English language Study and teaching. I. Garvey, James J. II. Title. P121.D384 2010 425 dc22 2010011194 e WAC Clearinghouse supports teachers of writing across the disciplines. Hosted by Colorado State University, it brings together scholarly journals and book series as well as resources for teachers who use writing in their courses. is book is available in digital format for free download at http://wac.colostate.edu. Parlor Press, LLC is an independent publisher of scholarly and trade titles in print and multimedia formats. is book is available in paperback and Adobe eBook formats from Parlor Press on the World Wide Web at http://www.parlorpress.com. For submis- sion information or to nd out about Parlor Press publications, write to Parlor Press, 816 Robinson St., West Lafayette, Indiana, 47906, or e-mail editor@parlorpress.com. For Marna and Cian To the memory of James J. Garvey vii Contents 1 Introduction to the Linguistic Study of Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .        . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Conceptions of Language and Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Skeletal Introduction to English Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , ,   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Phonetics and Phonology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Morphology and Word Formation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , ,  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  :     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 e Major Parts of Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     : , , ,  . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 e Minor Parts of Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Word Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    () . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    () . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    () . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    () . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    () . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Basic Clause Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ������������������������������������������������������� 364 :    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      .�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�.�. [...]... Index������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������445 x The English Language From Sound to Sense 1 Introduction to the Linguistic Study of Language key concepts Who these books are for How to use these books What these books are about Communication Language Discourse Text Genre Ideology Language in education Thinking critically about language Standard English Grammar Other reasons for studying and teaching about language The organization of these... s a re a b o u t These books are about language, but specifically about the English language 3 Delahunty and Garvey and its uses The first book is about the grammar of English; the second is about related topics, including language variation (e.g., dialects), language learning, English spelling, and the history of the English language Generally, when people hear the word “grammar,” they immediately... classes teachability: the ease with which material can be organized for presentation in classrooms text: the auditory, visual, and/or tactile artifacts produced by communicators 21 2 Conceptions of Language and Grammar key concepts The study of language The roles of the English teacher What is a language? Competence and performance Approaches to the study of language the study of language The study of spoken... practices in important genres Moreover, the conventions differ from one discipline to another However, for teachers to be able to teach the usage rules, they must understand the concepts that underlie them and the terminology in which they are expressed For example, they must know what nouns are, be able to recognize them in texts and to produce examples of them on demand; what “past tense” means... teach them (ideally by incorporating lots of writing), teachers will also have to know about how to teach ESL (English as a Second Language) In the rest of this introduction we will explain the organization of these books and provide some hints for working successfully with them the organization of these books The next chapter of this book (Conceptions of Language) is on the nature of language The remaining... Introduction to the Linguistic Study of Language must know how to accurately interpret the language of texts in that discipline and to be able to recreate their authors’ meanings Both of these tasks require, at a minimum, knowing the discipline’s technical terms Some disciplines may require readers to be knowledgeable about further aspects of the language Literature students, for instance, must be able to understand... a b o u t language Besides its importance in the development of critical thinking skills, there are many other reasons for studying language You might want to know about language variation (“dialects” of various sorts), about how languages change over time, about the history of English, about the standardization of languages, about how languages are learned, about language disorders, about the relationships... end-of-term class presentation, which differs from texting a party invitation to a friend The various discourses require their own specific genres For example, the discourse of creative writing in English includes the genres of the short story, the novel, and poetry (which includes such sub-genres as the lyric and the dramatic monologue) The discourse of business includes the annual report, various kinds of... rise to the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) movement text When people communicate, they produce texts Texts always occur in some medium, which may be auditory, visual, tactile, or some combination of these Texts also always occur in some channel, that is, the environment through which the medium travels from the text’s producer(s) to its receiver(s) For ordinary face -to- face conversation, the medium... i.e., the growth in a student’s ability to communicate appropriately in an increasingly broad range of circumstances Teachers who concern themselves with the linguistic development of their students typically view their role as twofold: (a) to promote their students’ ability to speak, read, and write in their disciplines, and (b) to develop their students’ ability to write in Standard English (SE), the . .445 The English Language From Sound to Sense 3 1 Introduction to the Linguistic Study of Language key concepts Who these books are for How to use these. ISBN 97 8-1 -6 023 5-1 8 0-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 97 8-1 -6 023 5-1 8 1-3 (adobe eb- ook) 1. Linguistics. 2. Language and languages. 3. English language Study