Acquisition Based and Usage Based Explanations of Grammaticalisation. An Integrative Approach
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Peter Öhl
Abstract
This paper compares and discusses two mainstream explanations of grammaticalisation processes: Generative accounts regarding them as reflections of structural reanalysis through parametric change during language acquisition, resulting in recategorisation of lexical elements as functional heads in syntactic structure and functionalist approaches that focus on performance, arguing that speakers tend to either improve expressiveness or economise speech production by varying the application of the rules of grammar, which may result in conventionalisation and finally even change the rules of grammar or create new functional elements. Our aim is to integrate the advantages of both approaches. Basically, it is argued that performance-based conventionalisation plays a central role for grammaticalisation by providing the linguistic preconditions for recategorisation of lexical elements as functional ones, or semi-functional elements as fully functional ones. However, changes of the basic rule system of grammar, which includes the parametric representation of functional heads in syntactic structure, cannot be changed except through structural reanalysis during language acquisition. On the other hand, the input for language acquisition is speech, which is shaped by application and, to a certain degree, modification of the functional rules of the grammatical system by the speaker. The part of grammar that is accessible to manipulation by the speaker is called ‘fringe-grammar’ in generative theory. Thus the central claim will be: in processes of grammaticalisation, change of the core grammar is often initialised by functional variation at the fringe. The whole process may include several steps of alternate usage-based and acquisition-based changes. This model will be exemplified by its application to the analysis of the development of analytic tenses.
Abstract
This paper compares and discusses two mainstream explanations of grammaticalisation processes: Generative accounts regarding them as reflections of structural reanalysis through parametric change during language acquisition, resulting in recategorisation of lexical elements as functional heads in syntactic structure and functionalist approaches that focus on performance, arguing that speakers tend to either improve expressiveness or economise speech production by varying the application of the rules of grammar, which may result in conventionalisation and finally even change the rules of grammar or create new functional elements. Our aim is to integrate the advantages of both approaches. Basically, it is argued that performance-based conventionalisation plays a central role for grammaticalisation by providing the linguistic preconditions for recategorisation of lexical elements as functional ones, or semi-functional elements as fully functional ones. However, changes of the basic rule system of grammar, which includes the parametric representation of functional heads in syntactic structure, cannot be changed except through structural reanalysis during language acquisition. On the other hand, the input for language acquisition is speech, which is shaped by application and, to a certain degree, modification of the functional rules of the grammatical system by the speaker. The part of grammar that is accessible to manipulation by the speaker is called ‘fringe-grammar’ in generative theory. Thus the central claim will be: in processes of grammaticalisation, change of the core grammar is often initialised by functional variation at the fringe. The whole process may include several steps of alternate usage-based and acquisition-based changes. This model will be exemplified by its application to the analysis of the development of analytic tenses.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. General issues
- Acquisition Based and Usage Based Explanations of Grammaticalisation. An Integrative Approach 13
- Grammaticalization and Explanation 41
- The perfectivization of the English perfect 53
- Explaining language structure 67
- Toward a constructional framework for research on language change 87
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Part 2. Case studies
- Grammaticalization of Polish mental predicate prefixes 109
- More Thoughts on the Grammaticalization of Personal Pronouns 129
- The grammaticalization of nomə in the Eastern Abruzzese dialect Ortese 157
- The different developments of progressive aspect markers be in the middle/midst of and be in the process of V- ing 181
- Sequentiality in dialogue as a trigger for grammaticalization 203
- The final particle but in British English 235
- “Final hanging but” in American English 257
- Author index 287
- Subject index 289
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. General issues
- Acquisition Based and Usage Based Explanations of Grammaticalisation. An Integrative Approach 13
- Grammaticalization and Explanation 41
- The perfectivization of the English perfect 53
- Explaining language structure 67
- Toward a constructional framework for research on language change 87
-
Part 2. Case studies
- Grammaticalization of Polish mental predicate prefixes 109
- More Thoughts on the Grammaticalization of Personal Pronouns 129
- The grammaticalization of nomə in the Eastern Abruzzese dialect Ortese 157
- The different developments of progressive aspect markers be in the middle/midst of and be in the process of V- ing 181
- Sequentiality in dialogue as a trigger for grammaticalization 203
- The final particle but in British English 235
- “Final hanging but” in American English 257
- Author index 287
- Subject index 289
