Singular Concord in Ottawa Valley English

Abstract

This paper investigates a syntactic phenomenon known as singular concord as it exists in the dialect of Ottawa Valley English. Singular concord refers to a construction wherein a plural subject presents with third person singular agreement on the verb, as in "the kids is hungry". Ottawa Valley English singular concord is compared and contrasted with a similar agreement phenomenon in Arabic and with singular concord as it exists in Belfast English. The result is a description of singular concord in Ottawa Valley English, including productivity and restrictions, and an account and analysis of the phenomenon in that dialect, along with insights into the singular concord family of phenomena overall.