Browsing by Author "Schuravleff, Matilda"

An increasing number of socio-linguistic studies of Present-day English intensifiers have utilized the variationist socio-linguistic method because it is regarded as superior to other quantitative methods. Regardless of the prevalence of the method in the socio-linguistic research of Present-day English intensifiers, the method has more rarely been applied to the socio-linguistic research of historical English intensifiers. In the present study, the variation of intensifiers between social ranks was investigated in late Middle English. The material consisted of a small sample of 15th-century English letters which was derived from the Corpus of Early English Correspondence (CEEC). In addition to the variationist method, an original method was utilized where the normalized frequencies of intensification were calculated solely in the non-formulaic contexts of the letters. It was discovered that, in the sample of the study, there were differences in the frequencies of intensifiers between the social ranks, the lowest social rank was the most frequent user of intensification, and the middle rank was the least frequent user of intensification. Moreover, in comparison to a previous variationist research of Present-day English intensifiers, it was detected that variation of intensification between socio-economic classes seemed to be present both in late Middle English and Present-day English, but that the socio-economic class which used intensifiers the most frequently appeared to be different between late Middle English and Present-day English. Overall, it was discussed that the sample size of the research was too limited for general interpretations to be made about the variation of intensifiers in late Middle English. Furthermore, the numerical differences between the social ranks could have been marginal, and therefore, not enough for interpreting variation to have occurred. However, it was discussed that the methods of the research were relevant, and they could be utilized in future socio-linguistic studies of historical English intensifiers.