Belfast English and Standard English: Dialect Variation and Parameter Setting

The study of comparative syntax in closely related languages has yielded valuable insights into syntactic phenomena--for example in the study of the Romance languages--yet little comparative work has been done on English dialects. This is the first comparison of the syntax of Belfast English and Standard English, using Chomsky's "Principles and Parameters"/Minimalist framework. Alison Henry analyses various Belfast English constructions and their Standard English counterparts to gain insight into both English syntax and syntactic theory in general. In the process, she makes valuable data on Belfast English readily available for the first time.