Gradualness of grammaticalization in Romance. The position of French, Spanish and Italian
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Walter De Mulder
Abstract
In this article we propose that the notion of grammaticalization as a gradual process can be extended to language typology. Within the same language family, grammaticalization phenomena can be ongoing in one language and have reached a stage further down the cline in another language. This entails that diachronically languages of the same family may grammaticalize at a different speed. ‘Degree of grammaticalization’ is operationalized as degree of paradigmatization: the reduction of alternatives is viewed as representing a higher degree of paradigmaticity and of grammaticalization. We make our case for three important Romance languages, French, Italian and Spanish. It is argued that in Romance we find the following cline of grammaticalization: French > Italian > Spanish, i.e. with French being most grammaticalized, Spanish least, and Italian in between.
Abstract
In this article we propose that the notion of grammaticalization as a gradual process can be extended to language typology. Within the same language family, grammaticalization phenomena can be ongoing in one language and have reached a stage further down the cline in another language. This entails that diachronically languages of the same family may grammaticalize at a different speed. ‘Degree of grammaticalization’ is operationalized as degree of paradigmatization: the reduction of alternatives is viewed as representing a higher degree of paradigmaticity and of grammaticalization. We make our case for three important Romance languages, French, Italian and Spanish. It is argued that in Romance we find the following cline of grammaticalization: French > Italian > Spanish, i.e. with French being most grammaticalized, Spanish least, and Italian in between.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Bühler’s two-field theory of pointing and naming and the deictic origins of grammatical morphemes 37
- On the origins of grammaticalization and other types of language change in discourse strategies 51
- Lehmann’s parameters revisited 73
- “Paradigmatic integration” 111
- “The ghosts of old morphology” 135
- Grammaticalization, constructions and the grammaticalization of constructions 167
- Gradualness of grammaticalization in Romance. The position of French, Spanish and Italian 199
- Development of periphrastic tense and aspect constructions in Irish and Welsh 227
- Emergence and grammaticalization of constructions within the se me network of Spanish 249
- A discourse-based analysis of object clitic doubling in Spanish 271
- The many careers of negative polarity items 299
- Author Index 327
- Subject Index 331
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Bühler’s two-field theory of pointing and naming and the deictic origins of grammatical morphemes 37
- On the origins of grammaticalization and other types of language change in discourse strategies 51
- Lehmann’s parameters revisited 73
- “Paradigmatic integration” 111
- “The ghosts of old morphology” 135
- Grammaticalization, constructions and the grammaticalization of constructions 167
- Gradualness of grammaticalization in Romance. The position of French, Spanish and Italian 199
- Development of periphrastic tense and aspect constructions in Irish and Welsh 227
- Emergence and grammaticalization of constructions within the se me network of Spanish 249
- A discourse-based analysis of object clitic doubling in Spanish 271
- The many careers of negative polarity items 299
- Author Index 327
- Subject Index 331
