Tracking down phrasal verbsthe case of up and down
- Andreea Rosca 1
- Yvonne Baker de Altamirano 1
- 1 Centro Universitario de la Defensa Academia General Militar. España
ISSN: 0717-1285, 0718-5758
Year of publication: 2016
Issue: 34
Pages: 296-321
Type: Article
More publications in: Onomázein: Revista de lingüística, filología y traducción de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Abstract
Since the frequency of phrasal verbs is register-specific, it is essential for L2 learners to be exposed to the most productive phrasal verbs in their field of study. Thus, English for Police learners should become familiar and practise the most recurrent phrasal verbs in the context of crime and police investigative work. In this study we determine the frequency and meaning extensions of phrasal verbs with the particles up and down in a spoken corpus of English for the Police on the basis of which we also generate teaching materials for L2 trainee police officers. This research extends McCarthy and O’Dell’s (2004) scope of analysis by encompassing not only phrasal verbs related to criminal behavior but also to the procedures followed by the police in the investigation of a crime.