---
_id: '46141'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>\r\n               <jats:p>In this paper,
    the contractions <jats:italic>shoulda, coulda, woulda</jats:italic> are compared
    with their respective full forms <jats:italic>should have</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>would
    have</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>could have</jats:italic>. Although the full
    forms are used much more frequently and are, therefore, considered canonical,
    the non-canonical forms have increased in frequency throughout the better part
    of the twentieth century. They are predominantly used in American English – in
    conversation as well as in fictional writing to imitate speech. With respect to
    their syntactic environment, <jats:italic>shoulda, coulda</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>woulda</jats:italic>
    behave differently than their full counterparts since they are often used without
    subjects and without lexical verbs. Some of these uses can be explained by the
    fact that <jats:italic>shoulda, coulda</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>woulda</jats:italic>
    are not always used as verbal items but also as nouns, adjectives, and interjections.
    Due to their overall low frequency and their restriction to a particular register,
    however, it appears they will keep their non-canonical status for the foreseeable
    future.</jats:p>"
author:
- first_name: Markus
  full_name: Freudinger, Markus
  id: '34058'
  last_name: Freudinger
citation:
  ama: Freudinger M. <i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical Forms on the Move?
    <i>Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik</i>. 2017;65(3):319-337. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031">10.1515/zaa-2017-0031</a>
  apa: Freudinger, M. (2017). <i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical Forms
    on the Move? <i>Zeitschrift Für Anglistik Und Amerikanistik</i>, <i>65</i>(3),
    319–337. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031">https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Freudinger_2017, title={<i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical
    Forms on the Move?}, volume={65}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031">10.1515/zaa-2017-0031</a>},
    number={3}, journal={Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik}, publisher={Walter
    de Gruyter GmbH}, author={Freudinger, Markus}, year={2017}, pages={319–337} }'
  chicago: 'Freudinger, Markus. “<i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical Forms
    on the Move?” <i>Zeitschrift Für Anglistik Und Amerikanistik</i> 65, no. 3 (2017):
    319–37. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031">https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031</a>.'
  ieee: 'M. Freudinger, “<i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical Forms on the
    Move?,” <i>Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik</i>, vol. 65, no. 3, pp.
    319–337, 2017, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031">10.1515/zaa-2017-0031</a>.'
  mla: Freudinger, Markus. “<i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical Forms on
    the Move?” <i>Zeitschrift Für Anglistik Und Amerikanistik</i>, vol. 65, no. 3,
    Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2017, pp. 319–37, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/zaa-2017-0031">10.1515/zaa-2017-0031</a>.
  short: M. Freudinger, Zeitschrift Für Anglistik Und Amerikanistik 65 (2017) 319–337.
date_created: 2023-07-25T11:22:55Z
date_updated: 2023-09-20T16:18:39Z
department:
- _id: '384'
doi: 10.1515/zaa-2017-0031
intvolume: '        65'
issue: '3'
keyword:
- Literature and Literary Theory
- Linguistics and Language
- Language and Linguistics
language:
- iso: eng
page: 319-337
publication: Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 2196-4726
  - 0044-2305
publication_status: published
publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
status: public
title: <i>Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda</i> – Non-Canonical Forms on the Move?
type: journal_article
user_id: '14931'
volume: 65
year: '2017'
...