[Ads-l] Initial "as well"

[Dave Wilton]

Usage manuals (Garner, Fee and McAlpine's _Guide to Canadian English Usage_) designate the practice of using "as well" as a synonym for "also" at the beginning of sentences as a distinctly Canadian usage. And indeed, I first became aware of it when I was at the University of Toronto. But since coming to Texas I've found that it's also a widespread practice among my English comp students here.

Example: "The software does not see much usage since it is a Java program run as a downloadable JAR file. As well, most college students are unfamiliar with the hosting website we use, GitHub."

Is this use of "as well" a Texas-ism too, or is it just becoming more widespread generally?


--Dave Wilton
   Department of English
   Texas A&M University
   dwilton at tamu.edu / dave at wilton.net

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