This thesis examines the competition between the nominal suffixes -ity and -ness in Late Modern English (LModE) from 1710 to 1920. By replicating the methodology of Rodríguez-Puente et al. (2022),...Show moreThis thesis examines the competition between the nominal suffixes -ity and -ness in Late Modern English (LModE) from 1710 to 1920. By replicating the methodology of Rodríguez-Puente et al. (2022), the study measures the diachronic productivity of both suffixes across different registers using corpus linguistic methods. The study utilises the Corpus of Late Modern English Texts (CLMET) and the Old Bailey Corpus (OBC) to calculate the proportion of -ity types out of all -ity and -ness types. The results indicate a stabilisation of -ity type proportions during the LModE period and show significant register effects on the diversity of suffix use. The findings suggest that the situational and linguistic contexts of different registers play a crucial role in shaping the competition and productivity of suffixes. This study further highlights the dynamic interplay of linguistic and sociolinguistic factors.Show less
Recipes belong to the abbreviated register, a categorisation of varieties of non-standard language use which displays an abbreviated or simplified form of the standard language use, like newspaper...Show moreRecipes belong to the abbreviated register, a categorisation of varieties of non-standard language use which displays an abbreviated or simplified form of the standard language use, like newspaper headlines and instructions. Recipes fall under the practical text type within abbreviated registers, which have the function of describing a method of preparation of a dish. To be most functional, they need to be as easy to follow as possible. One of the most striking differences between the normative language and the language used in recipes is the omission of objects. Object omission is able to take place in recipes because the reader is aware of the missing object from the context. The omitted direct object maintains its status as a topic even though it is not explicitly mentioned. The verb type can determine whether a direct object is required: if the verb is transitive, it can prove the existence of a direct object. In order to give a more detailed description of object omission in relation to the verb type, this thesis provides an in-depth analysis of the relation between transitive verbs and their direct objects in fifty English language recipes.Show less
