A Corpus Based Study On Prepositions Stranding In Pakistani English

Abstract

Prepositions stranding is a syntactic phenomenon in which a preposition is moved at the end of the sentences, away from its object. It is a unique feature of English Grammar. In this corpus-based theory driven study, the researcher will explore frequency of preposition stranding in Pakistani English Newspapers. For this purpose, the researcher will choose 5 articles from the 4 renowned Pakistani English Newspapers The Dawn, The Nation, The News and Tribune. Using data, from the Newspapers, the researcher will focus on 10 primary prepositions of, in, to, for, with, on, by, at, from and into most commonly used in English. The findings figure out that Preposition Stranding (PS) is more frequent in spoken than written in Pakistani English. Moreover, dialectical variation is also responsible in prepositions stranding, and prepositions like with, for, and to are mostly likely to be stranded. Syntactic factors like verb- preposition combinations and object animacy also influence prepositions stranding significantly. BNC highlights frequency to align with conversational immediacy. Google provides various strands with “Wh” words with high frequency and multiple examples are vivid e.g Whom are you talking to? The utilization of Antconc shows that prepositions stranding in Pakistani English is not as common as in contemporary English usage but the usage is increasing in spoken frequently. These findings contribute to the understanding of syntactic variation and change, providing insights into the interplay between grammar, pragmatics, and register. Implications for English language teaching suggest a focus on the communicative functions of PS, while the study also opens avenues for further research on cross-linguistic patterns and diachronic shifts in PS usage.

Keywords: Preposition Stranding, Corpus-Based Study, Pakistani English, Pakistani Newspapers, AntConc, BNC