Nouns and Noun Phrases

Abstract

A descriptive analysis of nouns & noun phrases (NPs) in colloquial Singapore English (CSE) is offered, based on data from the Grammar of Spoken Singapore English Corpus (GSSEC). Focus is on characteristic CSE features related to number & subject-verb agreement, & the use of one as the head of a nominal in various grammatical environments. Indefinite article distribution is described, as is the use of definite articles & premodifiers functioning as NP heads. The topic-comment structure of CSE NPs is also examined. In sum, six features that are characteristic of nouns & NPs in CSE are described in this chapter: (1) the variable marking of definiteness/indefiniteness, (2) optional number marking, (3) sporadic agreement marking, (4) the polyfunctionality (also called macrofunctionality) of one as a marker of both nominalizer & singulative, (5) pro-drop (for both subject & object), & (6) heavy NP shift. The first four features in this list show much variation in the GSSEC data, perhaps due to variations in the typologies of surrounding local languages spoken in Singapore. C. Brennan.