The rivalry between far from being + predicative item and its counterpart omitting the copula in Modern English

Distinguishing between several subtypes of the frame far from + optional and recessive being + predicative phrase, this paper charts the evolution of the rivalling variants in British and American English over the last few centuries. The paper reports on two major findings. First, in line with the Complexity Principle, there is a tendency for more complex predicatives to help preserve the more explicit being variant better than simpler ones. In particular, morphologically complex adjectives and syntactically complex noun phrases in the predicative slot are shown to retain the being variant longer than less complex ones. Second, as regards the establishment of the less explicit zero variant, the relation between British and American English corresponds to the so-called lag and overtake scenario. While initially trailing behind British English, American English has - in more recent times - adopted the zero variant much faster than British English.