Same-verb different-particle phrasal verbs in Philippine English

Abstract

English preposition is one of the hardest features to learn and master, especially by ‘nonnative’ speakers of the English language; hence, several Filipinos tend to interchange particle/preposition in phrasal verbs (PhVs) (e.g., fill up and fill out). As such, this study aimed to compare the semantic features and idiomatic status of selected same-verb different-particle PhVs, and describe their syntactic features utilizing the Philippine component of the International Corpus of English (ICE-PHI) and the Global Web-based English Corpus (GloWbE) Philippines. This study revealed evidence that clearly shows the interchange of particle/preposition for the same verb. A new meaning has been found for two PhVs. Most of the PhVs follow the type 2 (transitive) pattern, while others follow the type 1 (intransitive) pattern. They generally occur in the medial position, rarely in the beginning position, and very rarely in the final position. The study suggests that despite the interchange, Filipinos generally follow the American English (AmE) usage of PhVs. Also, despite the fact that PhV is not an inherent characteristic in the first language, Filipinos still show adequate knowledge and proficiency in the use of PhVs in their utterances. The interchange of particle/preposition may be considered as an emerging feature of Philippine English (PhE).

Keywords

• language variation
• philippine english
• phrasal verbs
• semantics