I am talking about the topic Singapore English and I want to briefly survey the previous researches on the same topic. Do the following sentences sound natural in English?
- In literature on Singapore English, Crew (1997) was among the first
to observe non-standard tense marking. Subsequently, Alsagoff and Ho
(1998) … - Previous researches on Singapore English, Crew (1997) was among the
first to observe non-standard tense marking. Subsequently, Alsagoff
and Ho (1998) … - Previously, Crew (1997) was among the first to observe non-standard
tense marking. Subsequently, Alsagoff and Ho (1998) … - Crew (1997) was among the first to observe non-standard tense
marking in Singapore English. Subsequently, Alsagoff and Ho (1998)
…
How else could I start a paragraph that intends to briefly survey/overview previous literature on a certain topic?
Best Answer
First a general comment; I would use Singaporean English rather than Singapore English, in the same way that one refers to American English and not America English.
Your number 1 sounds acceptable to me with the addition of an article: "In the literature ...". Number 2 sounds ungrammatical. Number 3 seems to have an element of tautology; 1997 is clearly prior to the present day, so I think that it is both unnecessary, and odd, to say "Previously". Number 4 sounds just fine; it avoids the strange sounding "previously", and the words "subsequently" clearly and sensibly refers to a time later than that of Crew.