Variation and change in the lexicon : a corpus-based analysis of adjectives in English ending in -ic and -ical / / Mark Kaunisto.

• Superior document: Language and computers ; no. 63
• Author: Kaunisto, Mark.
• Year of Publication: 2007
• Language: English
• Series: Language and computers ; no. 63.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (375 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The present volume is a corpus-based study of the occurrence, variation, and change in the use of English adjective pairs in - ic and - ical over several centuries. The study involves the analysis of large, multi-million-word corpora representing the English language at various stages. It examines the nature of competition between the two affixes: what kind of rivalry existed, what kinds of words entered into competition, and in what ways the rivalry was resolved. The book presents close studies of six notably differentiated -ic/-ical adjective pairs, namely classic/classical, comic/comical, economic/economical, electric/electrical, historic/historical, and magic/magical , as well as commentaries on some 40 other -ic/-ical pairs, which manifest different types of shifts in use through history. It also includes critical discussion of general perceptions on and approaches to the practical use of corpora, stressing the importance of close and careful study of the materials under analysis. It further emphasises the value of consulting a variety of sources alongside corpora, including dictionaries and language usage manuals. This volume is of interest to language scholars in many fields, including corpus linguistics, diachronic linguistics, semantic change, lexicology, and word formation.

Table of Contents

Preliminary material / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Introduction / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Materials used in the study / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Earlier observations and empirical studies / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- The history of new adjectives ending in -ic and -ical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Excellence, tradition, and ancient Greeks: classic/classical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Perspectives on amusement: the use of comic/comical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Arranging the motions of resources: economic/economical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Shocks, sparks and excitement vs. engineering: electric/electrical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- The past and the important things in it: historic/historical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- From supernatural powers to exciting football games: magic/magical / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Obsolescence of one of the forms / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Some special cases / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Concluding remarks / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- References / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon -- Appendices / Editors Variation and change in the lexicon.