A Corpus-Based Analysis of the Verb 'Seem'

Author:   Ruaa Talal Jumaah

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Abstract
This paper presents a corpus-based analysis of the verb seem which is one of the verbs of senses that are used to express senses employed in the process of human sensory cognition. It is also a linking verb that links the subject to the complement of the sentence. The study aims at the following: first, finding out the different functions of the verb seem. Second, analyzing the different meanings associated with the different grammatical constructions of the verb.
This paper consists of two sections. The first section offers a brief account of seem and its relationship with evidentially, subjectivity, and inter-subjectivity. The second section gives a corpus analysis of seem in fiction texts. The researcher designs a corpus consisting of three novels of Elizabeth Gaskell. Each of the three novels is converted into text format and are analyzed by Wordsmith software. This study reveals that the verb seem has five different grammatical constructions, and they signal differences in relation to evidentiality, subjectivity and inter-subjectivity. The paper ends with some conclusions that sum up the findings of the study.
Key words: corpus; analysis; verb; seem