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DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributorDepartment of Englishen_US
dc.contributor.advisorCheng, Winnie (ENGL)en_US
dc.creatorChing, Nok Hang-
dc.identifier.urihttps://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/10620-
dc.languageEnglishen_US
dc.publisherHong Kong Polytechnic Universityen_US
dc.rightsAll rights reserveden_US
dc.titleBecause in an intercultural corpus of spoken Englishen_US
dcterms.abstractBecause, as one of the linguistic items which indicates causation, has received a considerable amount of attention in linguistic research. Various studies have proposed the functions of because and its phonologically reduced form cos by examining spoken discourse produced by native speakers of English. However, few studies have investigated how non-native speakers of English use because and cos in their speech. Based on a number of authentic examples from the Hong Kong Corpus of Spoken English (prosodic), the present study examines the functions of because and cos in real-life spoken intercultural interactions and the relationship between the functions of because and cos and various sociolinguistic and contextual factors. The study shows that both because and cos perform eight functions which have been proposed in previous studies. Findings from the study indicate that Hong Kong Chinese and native speakers of English and the two gender groups, male and female speakers, use because and cos quite differently in their speech. It is also found that functions of because and cos vary according to the text type in which they occur.en_US
dcterms.extentix, 158 pages : color illustrationsen_US
dcterms.isPartOfPolyU Electronic Thesesen_US
dcterms.issued2012en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelM.A.en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelAll Masteren_US
dcterms.LCSHEnglish language -- Spoken English -- China -- Hong Kongen_US
dcterms.LCSHEnglish language -- Intonationen_US
dcterms.LCSHIntercultural communication -- China -- Hong Kongen_US
dcterms.LCSHHong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertationsen_US
dcterms.accessRightsrestricted accessen_US

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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/10620