https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CJES <p>The <em>Complutense Journal of English Studies (ISSN 2386-3935, ISSN-e 2386-6624)</em>, formerly<em> Estudios Ingleses de la Universidad Complutense, </em>founded in 1993, is a scholarly, double-blind peer-reviewed annual journal which publishes cutting-edge, high quality research papers encompassing all areas in the domain of English linguistics, literature and culture. It promotes lively exchange among scholars in the humanities and related disciplines who hold diverse perspectives on current developments in these fields. <em>CJES</em> operates as a showcase for state-of-the-art work in English Studies and aims to provide a rigorous forum for scholarly debate. The journal welcomes original research articles and book reviews on groundbreaking new contributions. CJES has adopted a continuous periodicity publication. Therefore, authors may send their manuscripts throughout the whole year.</p> Ediciones Complutense en-US Complutense Journal of English Studies 2386-3935 <p>In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal <em>Complutense Journal of English Studies </em>is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode" target="_self">summary </a>and the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode">complete legal text</a> of the licence.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CJES/article/view/105199 <p>This paper investigates the linguistic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on different varieties of English, focusing on assertive and non-assertive linguistic markers in crisis communication. Motivated by the convergence of socio-cultural shifts and linguistic change, the study explores variations across Inner Circle (GB, US, NZ) and Outer Circle (SG, ZA) varieties within the <em>Coronavirus Corpus</em> (Davies 2019-). The central hypothesis posits an increased use of assertive markers and decreased use of non-assertive markers during crises. Such markers are taken from Biber’s (1988) multidimensional analysis, specifically from Dimension 4 and Factor 7. Thus, analyzing suasive verbs, conditional subordination, necessity modals, hedging strategies, downtoners, and concessive subordination, the findings reveal distinct patterns influenced by the timing and intensity of COVID-19 waves and the socio-political measures adopted. The results challenge the conventional Inner and Outer Circle dichotomy, emphasizing localized strategies in crisis communication over geographical distinctions, and they also confirm the validity of Biber’s multidimensional analysis nearly 40 years after its publication.</p> <p> </p> Lucía Loureiro-Porto Copyright (c) 2026 Complutense Journal of English Studies 2026-03-09 2026-03-09 34 e105199 e105199 10.5209/cjes.105199 https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CJES/article/view/107628 <p>&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> Eleonora Esposito Copyright (c) 2026 Complutense Journal of English Studies 2026-02-23 2026-02-23 34 e107628 e107628 10.5209/cjes.107628