This girl wants out! An analysis of need/ want + prepositional phrase and need/ want + prepositional adverb.

摘要

The aims of this dissertation are to examine the geographic, social, and stylistic distributions of the grammatical constructions need/want + prepositional phrase (e.g. Dean needs in the building ) and need/want + prepositional adverb (e.g. The cat wants out) and to investigate other factors bearing on these distributions, e.g. the semantic features of concrete and abstract. Most previous literature on these constructions has looked at want + prepositional adverb; almost no literature has mentioned need/want + prepositional phrase and need + prepositional adverb.;Several findings have emerged from questionnaire data gathered from 163 respondents, in Ohio, Michigan, and Georgia. All of these constructions show robust Midland distributions, and although need/want + prepositional phrase and need + prepositional adverb were rarely (or never) mentioned in other sources, use of them was reported by over 75% of respondents in the Midland. Furthermore, these constructions appear to be used more than previous literature had suggested in the North and the South, where some forms, e.g. want down, want in, want off, were reported by more than 60% of respondents.;More importantly, the social and stylistic distributions of these constructions in the Midland challenges long held assumptions about the relationship between these two variables. Need/want + prepositional phrase and need/want + prepositional adverb show little to no variation across the social variables of urban-rural residence, gender, socioeconomic status, and age. These constructions are, however, stratified by style. Although many respondents report using need/want + prepositional phrase and need/want + prepositional adverb in all styles, in general, these constructions are much more frequent in informal styles than in formal styles. Stylistic variation without social variation calls into question not only the assumption that social and stylistic variation are inherently related (e.g. Romaine 1980; Labov 1972; Bell 1984; Finegan & Biber 1994) but also the idea that the amount of stylistic variation cannot exceed that of social variation, i.e. Bell's style axiom (1984).;This study of need/want + prepositional phrase and need/want + prepositional adverb reveals their robust distribution in the Midland dialect area, which together with historical evidence, supports the idea of a distinct Midland dialect. In addition, use in the North and South is greater than expected, which would appear to be the result of spread of these constructions from the Midland. The findings also challenge long-held assumptions about the interrelated nature of social and stylistic distribution. Furthermore, this study of grammatical features raises questions about general characteristics of language variation and change, which have largely been based on studies of phonetic/phonological variables.