Acceptability of ‘Too Adj of a(n) N’: In Particular, with Regard to its Reversal Behavior with the Acceptability of ‘Too Adj a(n) N’ in Younger Generations in the US

Abstract

Prescriptive grammar considers the phrase ‘too Adj of a(n) N’ to be ungrammatical although descriptive grammar states that it is often used in US informal style. The present study uses ANOVA to analyze the acceptability of the form by age group in the US and the UK, and compares the data with those of prescriptively grammatical ‘too Adj a(n) N.’ In my recent survey, the acceptability of the form without ‘of’ surpassed that with ‘of’ for people over 60 years of age in both countries; however, while the former did not show a significant change as age decreased, the latter showed an increase. In the US, the latter switched places with the former for those roughly in the Millennial generation (born in 1981-1995). Additionally, in both countries, the two forms switched places in formality for those roughly in the Millennial generation, as in acceptability, suggesting some association between acceptability and perceived formality. This study believes that young native speakers’ possible reference to the ‘of-dropping’ informalization of expressions such as ‘a couple of NP’ has led to their relatively low acceptance of the form without ‘of.’