Review of Sven Leuckert, Topicalization in Asian Englishes. Forms, Functions, and Frequencies of a Fronting Construction. (London: Routledge, 2019. xiv + 221. ISBN 978-1-138-54945-6)

Abstract

[eng] Sven Leuckert’s Topicalization in Asian Englishes: Forms, functions and frequencies of a fronting construction is the first comprehensive study of topicalization in World Englishes. It provides an in-depth analysis of the forms, functions, and frequencies of topicalization in four Asian varieties: Hong Kong, India, Singapore and the Philippines. It constitutes an innovative empirical and theoretical advance in the study of topicalization in English and seeks to unravel the factors that influence topicalized structures in Asian Englishes: are they the same across the different varieties, or are there inter-varietal differences? Do Asian Englishes emulate canonical varieties or do they show non-canonical structures? Drawing on meticulous scrutiny of the relevant components of the International Corpus of English, Topicalization in Asian Englishes offers insightful answers to these questions.