The Core Vocabulary of International English:
A Corpus Approach
Ahmad S. Peyawary
HIT-senterets publikasjonsserie Nr. 2/99.
ISBN 82-7283-095-7
PUBLIKASJON NR. 2. Ahmad S. Peyawary The Core Vocabulary of International English: A corpus Approach HIT-senterets publikasjonsserie Nr. 2/99. ISBN 82-7283-095-7 Pris: kr. 250,- (Pr. 11.07.2000: Forsendelse kommer i tillegg: Norge kr. 26,50-; Norden kr. 30,-; Europa kr. 50,-; andre verdensdeler kr. 65,-)
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the vocabulary of the English language in order to determine if there is a core vocabulary common to the three major dialects of the English language. Thorndike and West examined the frequency of vocabulary in samples of the English language. This study discusses the theory of corpus design in general and in language specifically; on the basis of this theory, it develops criteria for the evaluation of language corpora as representative samples of language permitting statistical analysis. These criteria, applied to the pioneering work of Thorndike and West, show the need for a new analysis. The ICAME database, containing million word samples of American, British, and Indian English, does conform to these criteria.
A methodology appropriate to the statistical analysis of the ICAME materials is elaborated. After the ICAME data have been converted from spelled forms to dictionary headwords, their frequency distribution patterns are analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient to determine the extent of similarity. Although analysis of the undifferentiated list produces inconclusive results, when the words are grouped by syntactic category it is possible to discern a boundary between core English and its three major dialects. The study concludes with word lists presenting the core vocabulary of International English.
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee. They all have been sources of help, encouragement, and advice without which the completion of this interdisciplinary work would not have been possible. I have been fortunate to work under University Distinguished Professor, Paul A. Fortier. He guided me throughout my study. His faith in my abilities never faded even during the most difficult times. He was always available, encouraging, and professional.
Other members of my advisory committee, past and present, deserve special thanks. I thank both Dr. Mathews and Dr. Kidd for accepting to oversee the part related to Education and particularly that pertaining to ESL/EFL. The criticism and editorial comments I received from both of them were invaluable. The linguistic contents were enriched by the many suggestions made by Dr. David Pentland of the Linguistics department and by the chair of the department, Dr. Lorna MacDonald. Special thanks are due to Dr. Kevin Keen of the Department of Statistics, Faculty of Sciences. My external examiner, Dr. Harald Baayen of the Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands deserves a very special thank you for the careful and knowledgeable attention he gave to my work providing comments and suggestions that proved to be invaluable in refining and sharpening the whole project. His suggestions for further research in the area are well taken.
I also wish to express my appreciation to Dr. Lyle Eide of the International Center, Dr. Ken Hughes, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and Dr. H. C. Wolfart, former head of the Linguistics department for their part in assisting me during my studies. The help I received from Ms Penny Gilbert and Mr. Jacques Fortier with software problems is acknowledged and appreciated. I would also like to thank Mr. Amin Noaman of the Department of Computer Sciences of the University of Manitoba who was extremely generous with his time helping me with computer related problems.
The support and encouragement of numerous friends are greatly appreciated and acknowledged: Mr. Ted Gollmer, Mrs. Julia Boon, Director of the Applied Linguistics Centre, Dr. M. S. Basalamah, Director of the Social Sciences Research Center, Umm al-Qura University, Makkah and his family, Dr. Salih bin Abdallah bin Humaid, member of the Saudi "Majlis al-Shora", Mr. Salem Ahmad Basamh, Shaikh Abdullah Mashaat, Mr. Sobait Bahashwan, Mr. Ali Salih Basalamah, Dr. Ahmad al-Rumayan, Mr. Yousef Abdulrehman, and Mr. Iqbal Siddiqui of the Manitoba Islamic Center. I also wish to thank all the individuals who supported this effort one way or another and whose names I have failed to mention. Their true friendship and support are acknowledged and appreciated.
Last but not least, I wish to thank my parents, uncles, and aunts all of whom have been continuous source of inspiration and encouragement. My uncle Mr. Hazrat Wali Peyawary deserves a very special thank you for teaching me my first alphabet in my first language. My wife and our five children deserve the best acknowledgement I could possibly give for their part in supporting me and my studies. They are the ones who have shown real patience. Many thanks to each and every one of them.
The financial support from both the government of Manitoba and the federal government of Canada in the form of student loans, from the Sayyed Mahmood Ahmed Scholarship Fund in the form of a two-year scholarship, and from Mrs. J. Boon of the Applied Linguistics Centre is acknowledged with gratitude.