Grammatical encoding of referentiality in the history of Hungarian
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Barbara Egedi
Abstract
The paper demonstrates that the Old Hungarian article, although homophonous with the distal demonstrative it developed from, is a fully grammaticalized element encoding definiteness on a syntactic level. Questioning its status as a true article is the consequence of the fact that it had a more restricted use in the first records than it does in the subsequent language stages. The careful classification of the articleless noun phrases with a definite interpretation in a selected closed corpus reveals that the Old Hungarian article only appears when there is no other device to identify the referent of the nominal expression, thus it is absent with proper names, generics, nouns modified by a demonstrative, head nouns of possessive constructions, and, occasionally, with non-argument adjuncts. Spreading of the article in certain cntexts can be observed only at the end the period and in Middle Hungarian, in line with the gradual functional extension of the nominal left periphery.
Abstract
The paper demonstrates that the Old Hungarian article, although homophonous with the distal demonstrative it developed from, is a fully grammaticalized element encoding definiteness on a syntactic level. Questioning its status as a true article is the consequence of the fact that it had a more restricted use in the first records than it does in the subsequent language stages. The careful classification of the articleless noun phrases with a definite interpretation in a selected closed corpus reveals that the Old Hungarian article only appears when there is no other device to identify the referent of the nominal expression, thus it is absent with proper names, generics, nouns modified by a demonstrative, head nouns of possessive constructions, and, occasionally, with non-argument adjuncts. Spreading of the article in certain cntexts can be observed only at the end the period and in Middle Hungarian, in line with the gradual functional extension of the nominal left periphery.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors ix
- Synchrony and diachrony 1
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Part I. The role of analogy and constructions in the synchrony-diachrony interface
- Gradualness in language change 27
- Gradual change and continual variation 43
- Can you literally be scared sick ? 79
- The reputed sense of be meant to 105
- Gradualness in analogical change as a complexification stage in a language simplification process 125
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Part II. Synchronic variation and language change
- Semantic maps, for synchronic and diachronic typology 153
- Synchronic gradience and language change in Latin genitive constructions 177
- Double agreement in the Alpine languages 201
- On variation in gender agreement 237
- Synchronic Variation and Grammatical Change 261
- A case study on the relationship between grammatical change and synchronic variation 283
- Grammaticalization in the present – The changes of modern Swedish typ 313
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Part III. Gradualness in language change
- Gradualness in change in English (augmented) absolutes 341
- Grammatical encoding of referentiality in the history of Hungarian 367
- Gradualness in contact-induced constructional replication 391
- Binding Hierarchy and peculiarities of the verb potere in some Southern Calabrian varieties 419
- Author index 441
- Subject index 447
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors ix
- Synchrony and diachrony 1
-
Part I. The role of analogy and constructions in the synchrony-diachrony interface
- Gradualness in language change 27
- Gradual change and continual variation 43
- Can you literally be scared sick ? 79
- The reputed sense of be meant to 105
- Gradualness in analogical change as a complexification stage in a language simplification process 125
-
Part II. Synchronic variation and language change
- Semantic maps, for synchronic and diachronic typology 153
- Synchronic gradience and language change in Latin genitive constructions 177
- Double agreement in the Alpine languages 201
- On variation in gender agreement 237
- Synchronic Variation and Grammatical Change 261
- A case study on the relationship between grammatical change and synchronic variation 283
- Grammaticalization in the present – The changes of modern Swedish typ 313
-
Part III. Gradualness in language change
- Gradualness in change in English (augmented) absolutes 341
- Grammatical encoding of referentiality in the history of Hungarian 367
- Gradualness in contact-induced constructional replication 391
- Binding Hierarchy and peculiarities of the verb potere in some Southern Calabrian varieties 419
- Author index 441
- Subject index 447
