CROSS-VARIETAL ANALYSIS OF VERB COMPLEMENTATION PATTERNS IN PAKISTANI AND BRITISH ENGLISH NEWSPAPER SOCIAL COLUMNS: EVIDENCE FROM CORPUS LINGUISTICS

Abstract

This corpus-based study undertakes a comparative analysis of verb complementation patterns in social columns of Pakistani and British English newspapers. Using a specially constructed corpus of social columns from leading Pakistani and British English newspapers, the study investigates the similarities and differences in the use of verb complementation patterns, including infinitival, gerundial, and that-clausal complements, in the two varieties of English. The study reveals that while both varieties exhibit similar preferences for certain verb complementation patterns, there are also significant differences in the frequency and distribution of these patterns. The findings suggest that Pakistani English social columns tend to favor more formal and complex verb complementation patterns, whereas British English social columns prefer simpler and more informal patterns. The study's results have implications for our understanding of the linguistic features of Pakistani and British English, and highlight the importance of considering the role of register and genre in shaping verb complementation patterns in different varieties of English. The study's corpus-based approach provides a systematic and empirical methodology for analyzing verb complementation patterns, and contributes to the ongoing discussion on the characteristics and differences between Pakistani and British English.