Reanalysis and gramma(ticaliza)tion of constructions
-
Kirsten Jeppesen Kragh
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to study language change as instances of usage-based reanalysis. We intend to show that a specific Romance complementation, namely the deictic relative, found mainly with verbs of perception, acquires the status of construction (i.e. a schematic construction according to the terminology of Croft & Cruse (2004, p. 255)). According to our conception of grammar, this implies a change from an individual, lexically determined structure, into a grammatical construction. We will show that this change from lexical (=A) to grammatical (=B), is a usage-based reanalysis, i.e. a new analysis of received usage due to structural ambiguity, without immediate surface manifestation of a change (see the definition in Andersen 2008, p. 33). This in turn implies that the speaker interprets the content of one expression first as A, then B and possibly C. The diachronic study of the deictic relative with the perception verb voir in French is based on corpus data from different stages of the language. We intend to show that the innovation spreads from oral to written text types, as witnessed from theatre to other genres.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to study language change as instances of usage-based reanalysis. We intend to show that a specific Romance complementation, namely the deictic relative, found mainly with verbs of perception, acquires the status of construction (i.e. a schematic construction according to the terminology of Croft & Cruse (2004, p. 255)). According to our conception of grammar, this implies a change from an individual, lexically determined structure, into a grammatical construction. We will show that this change from lexical (=A) to grammatical (=B), is a usage-based reanalysis, i.e. a new analysis of received usage due to structural ambiguity, without immediate surface manifestation of a change (see the definition in Andersen 2008, p. 33). This in turn implies that the speaker interprets the content of one expression first as A, then B and possibly C. The diachronic study of the deictic relative with the perception verb voir in French is based on corpus data from different stages of the language. We intend to show that the innovation spreads from oral to written text types, as witnessed from theatre to other genres.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction. The role of change in usage-based conceptions of language 1
-
Part 1. Challenging mainstream models of language change
- Does innovation need reanalysis? 23
- On cognition and communication in usage-based models of language change 49
-
Part 2. The role of usage in semantic change
- From inferential to mirative 83
- The motivation for using English suspended dangling participles 117
- The nature of speaker creativity in linguistic innovation 147
-
Part 3. The role of usage and structure in language change
- Reanalysis and gramma(ticaliza)tion of constructions 169
- Constructional change, paradigmatic structure and the orientation of usage processes 203
- Filling empty distinctions of expression with content 243
- Author index 271
- Subject index 273
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction. The role of change in usage-based conceptions of language 1
-
Part 1. Challenging mainstream models of language change
- Does innovation need reanalysis? 23
- On cognition and communication in usage-based models of language change 49
-
Part 2. The role of usage in semantic change
- From inferential to mirative 83
- The motivation for using English suspended dangling participles 117
- The nature of speaker creativity in linguistic innovation 147
-
Part 3. The role of usage and structure in language change
- Reanalysis and gramma(ticaliza)tion of constructions 169
- Constructional change, paradigmatic structure and the orientation of usage processes 203
- Filling empty distinctions of expression with content 243
- Author index 271
- Subject index 273
