Issues in constructional approaches to grammaticalization in English
-
Graeme Trousdale
Abstract
Traditional work on grammaticalization has often focussed on the creation of new atomic linguistic forms; recent research has suggested that grammaticalization may be considered as constructional emergence at an increasingly schematic level. Such a claim relies on an understanding of a construction as both (a) a form-meaning pairing in which the meaning of the whole is not derivable from the parts and (b) a string whose meaning is predictable from its parts, but which occurs with sufficient frequency for it to be stored as a pattern. The article summarises relevant issues in Construction Grammar, outlines aspects of existing research on constructions and grammaticalization in English and discusses some aspects of case loss and grammaticalization in the history of English including the loss of genitive objects. It also examines the place of analogy in grammaticalization. The article therefore presents new approaches to grammaticalization from the perspective of Construction Grammar.
Abstract
Traditional work on grammaticalization has often focussed on the creation of new atomic linguistic forms; recent research has suggested that grammaticalization may be considered as constructional emergence at an increasingly schematic level. Such a claim relies on an understanding of a construction as both (a) a form-meaning pairing in which the meaning of the whole is not derivable from the parts and (b) a string whose meaning is predictable from its parts, but which occurs with sufficient frequency for it to be stored as a pattern. The article summarises relevant issues in Construction Grammar, outlines aspects of existing research on constructions and grammaticalization in English and discusses some aspects of case loss and grammaticalization in the history of English including the loss of genitive objects. It also examines the place of analogy in grammaticalization. The article therefore presents new approaches to grammaticalization from the perspective of Construction Grammar.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
-
part I Basic questions
- On some problem areas in grammaticalization studies 17
- Issues in constructional approaches to grammaticalization in English 51
- Reconsidering erosion in grammaticalization 73
- Grammaticalization, subjectification and objectification 101
- Degrammaticalization 123
- Degrammaticalization and obsolescent morphology 151
-
part II Grammaticalization and the explanation of language change
- An analogical approach to grammaticalization 181
- Does grammaticalisation need analogy? 221
- What grammaticalisation can reveal about same-subject control 241
- How the Latin neuter pronominal forms became markers of non-individuation in Spanish 273
-
part III Case studies of micro-processes of grammaticalization
- The Grammaticalization of the German adjectives lauter (and eitel ) 297
- Is German gehören an auxiliary? 323
- Micro-processes of grammaticalization 343
- List of contributors 373
- Index 375
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
-
part I Basic questions
- On some problem areas in grammaticalization studies 17
- Issues in constructional approaches to grammaticalization in English 51
- Reconsidering erosion in grammaticalization 73
- Grammaticalization, subjectification and objectification 101
- Degrammaticalization 123
- Degrammaticalization and obsolescent morphology 151
-
part II Grammaticalization and the explanation of language change
- An analogical approach to grammaticalization 181
- Does grammaticalisation need analogy? 221
- What grammaticalisation can reveal about same-subject control 241
- How the Latin neuter pronominal forms became markers of non-individuation in Spanish 273
-
part III Case studies of micro-processes of grammaticalization
- The Grammaticalization of the German adjectives lauter (and eitel ) 297
- Is German gehören an auxiliary? 323
- Micro-processes of grammaticalization 343
- List of contributors 373
- Index 375
