A Corpus Stylistic Analysis of Lexical Features and Interpersonal Meaning in Never Let Me Go

Taweewat Inree; Kamonchanok Sanmuang

Authors

Taweewat Inree Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Phranakhon Rajabhat University, Thailand
Kamonchanok Sanmuang Faculty of Liberal Arts and Management Science, Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Thailand

Keywords:

corpus stylistics, lexical bundles, interpersonal meaning, systemic functional linguistics (SFL), parts of speech (POS)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate linguistic patterns in the novel Never Let Me Go (hereafter, NLMG) to help explain interpersonal meaning through a corpus linguistics method. This research identified language features in the narration of cloned characters, particularly keywords, four-word lexical bundles, and patterns of Parts of Speech (POS). The NLMG corpus was compiled, and AntConc was then used to extract keywords and four-word lexical bundles. Part-of-speech tagging was conducted using TagAnt (version 2.1.1). The keyword results were from the comparison of the NLMG corpus with the American English 2006 Corpus (AmE06). The results indicated that personal pronouns, particularly, I, we, and you, have a major effect on the narrative voice and interpersonal relationships. Some four-word lexical bundles, such as I don't know, I'm not sure, and I don't think, showed hesitation and uncertainty. Other bundles, such as Tommy and me, which refer to Ruth and other characters, fostered relationships and patterns of interaction. These patterns showed degrees of certainty, alignment, and social roles. They were interpreted through concordance and file-view analyses of the NLMG corpus together with the interpersonal framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), particularly mood and modality, to explain how the characters express certainty, uncertainty, and social relationships. The integration of corpus stylistics and the interpersonal metafunction of SFL provides a functionally motivated account of how recurrent language patterns shape uncertainty, stance, and social standing in literary discourse, offering a depth of explanation neither method achieves on its own.

References

Abood, H. H. (2024). Systemic functional linguistics to stylistics analysis of Beloved novel by Toni Morrison. Journal of Language Studies, 8(11), 319-343. https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.8.11.20

Anthony, L. (2024). Addressing the challenges of data-driven learning through corpus tool design: In conversation with Laurence Anthony. In P. Crosthwaite (Ed.), Corpora for language learning: Bridging the research-practice divide (pp. 9-18). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781040009260-

Atwell, E. (2008). Development of tag sets for part-of-speech tagging. In A. Lüdeling & M. Kytö (Eds.), Corpus linguistics: An international handbook (pp. 501-526). Walter de Gruyter.

Awwalu, J., Abdullahi, S. E. Y., & Evwiekpaefe, A. E. (2020). Parts of speech tagging: A review of techniques. FUDMA Journal of Sciences, 4(2), 712-721. https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2020-0402-325

Baker, P. (2004). Querying keywords: Questions of difference, frequency, and sense in keywords analysis. Journal of English Linguistics, 32(4), 346-359. https://doi.org/10.1177/0075424204269894

Biber, D. (1999). A register perspective on grammar and discourse: Variability in the form and use of English complement clauses. Discourse Studies, 1(2), 131-150. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445699001002001

Chueasuai, P. (2017). The interpersonal metafunction and translation of power relations: A case study of Fifty Shades of Grey. Manusya: Journal of Humanities, 20(3), 1-22. https://sci-hub.si/10.1163/26659077-02003001

Culpeper, J. (2009). Reflections on a cognitive stylistic approach to characterisation. In B. Geert & V. Jeroen (Eds.), Cognitive Poetics (pp. 125-168). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/9783110213379.1.125

Culpeper, J. (2014). Developing keyness and characterization: Annotation. In D. Hoover, J. Culpeper & K. O’Halloran (Eds.), Digital literary studies: Corpus approaches to poetry, prose and drama (pp. 35-63). Routledge.

Dalfino, D., Allamneni, S., & Cupery, M. P. (2023). Corpus stylistic analysis of postmodern narrative features in Mario Vargas Llosa’s The Feast of The Goat. Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Studies, 23(2), 235-247. https://doi.org/10.14456/hasss.2023.21

Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2013). Halliday's introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431269

Ho, Y. (2011). Corpus stylistics in principles and practice: A stylistic exploration of John Fowles’ the Magus. Continuum.

Ijam, D. M. M., & Al-Ameedi, R. T. K. (2024). A systemic functional linguistic analysis of mood and modality in one of Metcalfe’s novels. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(5), 1360-1370. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1405.08

Ikeo, R., Shigematsu, E., & Nakao, M. (2024). A corpus stylistics approach to contemporary present-tense narrative. John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/lal.43

Iwamoto, N. (2007). Stylistic and linguistic analysis of a literary text using systemic functional grammar. Human Studies, 162, 61-96. https://scispace.com/papers/stylistic-and-linguistic-analysis-of-a-literary-text-using-29plgiwguk

Khachan, V. (2023). The ‘Ands’ and ‘Buts’ in Kahlil Gibran’s English works: A corpus stylistics perspective. Languages, 8(4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040246

Mahlberg, M. (2010). Corpus linguistics and the study of nineteenth-century fiction. Journal of Victorian Culture, 15(2), 292-298. https://doi.org/10.1080/13555502.2010.491667

Mahlberg, M., Wiegand, V., Stockwell, P., & Hennessey, A. (2019). Speech-bundles in the 19th-century English novel. Language and Literature, 28(4), 326-353. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963947019886754

McIntyre, D., & Walker, B. (2019). Corpus stylistics: Theory and practice. Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1080/13555502.2010.491667

Pojanapunya, P. (2025). Comparing frequency and dispersion keywords: Effects of variations in target and reference corpora. rEFLections, 32(3), 1428-1446. https://doi.org/10.61508/refl.v32i3.284138

Razzaq, H. S., Zahra, S. K., & Jahan, J. (2025). Employing Biber's lexical bundles to explore discourse in Malala Yousafzai's autobiographical narratives. Social Science Review Archives, 3(1), 25-34. https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v3i1.283

Wijitsopon, R. (2013). A corpus-based study of the style in Jane Austen's novels. Manusya: Journal of Humanities, 16(1), 41-64. https://doi.org/10.1163/26659077-01601003

Wijitsopon, R. (2022). Corpus stylistics and colour symbolism in The Great Gatsby and its Thai translations. Language and Literature, 31(3), 267-295. https://doi.org/10.1177/09639470211048159