A Corpus-based Panchronic Study On Semi-auxiliaries

In grammatical studies, central modal auxiliaries usually hold a center stage in expressing modality. Those "marginal" modals, also known as semi-auxiliaries, seem to have gradually been marginalized. Different scholars may use different terminologies in categorizing English auxiliaries. In this study, the author adopts Quirk et al.’s classification in their authoritative grammar book A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. In this book, all the auxiliary verbs are regarded as a gradient, from modal auxiliaries at one end, to full verbs at the other, with different categories lying on the intermediate level. Semi-auxiliary is one of them.Using the Brown family corpora as the data source, aided by the two online mega-corpora COCA and COHA, this paper aims to first investigate the diachronic changes on the distribution of each semi-auxiliary listed in Quirk et al.’s categorization to see whether there is a significant difference in frequency in both American English and British English. Second, the author also makes a synchronic comparison to investigate whether there is a significant difference between AmE and BrE at each stage. After some statistical analyses, the author further intends to make a tentative explanation on the causes of this diachronic changes and the difference in the two English varieties, and puts forward a "new gravitation model" to explain the dynamic frequency changes of semi-auxiliaries.The results show that, in general, the frequencies of semi-auxiliaries are increasing in both American English and British English, with the former one increasing more sharply. However, as for each individual semi-auxiliary verb, the change is not necessarily universal and unidirectional:with some of them increasing significantly, while some others remaining almost the same, or even decreasing slightly. The author ascribes it to two factors:language-internal and language-external factors. The former includes grammaticalization and subjectification, and the latter mainly concerns Americanization, democratization and colloquialization. In the end, some limitations for the current research and implications for grammar teaching are provided as a reference for further research.