Rethinking Grammaticalization

This volume and its companion one Theoretical and empirical issues in grammaticalization offer a selection of papers from the Third International Conference New Reflections on Grammaticalization, held in Santiago de Compostela in July 2005. From the rich programme of the conference (over 120 papers), the twelve contributions included in this volume were carefully selected to reflect the state of current research in grammaticalization and suggest possible directions for future investigations in the field. Combining theoretical discussions with the analysis of particular test cases from a wide range of languages from various language families, the selected papers focus on such central questions as the need for a broader notion of grammaticalization, the distorting effects of grammaticalization on grammar, the areal perspective in grammaticalization and the relevance of contact-induced change to grammaticalization. Other topics discussed include the development of markers of textual connectivity and the emergence of cardinal numerals and numeral systems.

Chad Howe, University of Georgia, in Studies in Language Vol. 34:1 (2010):
Diversity is a core ingredient in the volume edited by María José López-Couso & Elena Seoane, which, despite some rather marginal deficiencies, stands on its own as a comment on the current state of grammaticalization as a theoretical and methodological enterprise. Through a series of thoughtful and cogent case studies and broader theoretical perspective papers, the collection introduces the reader to fundamental issues in language change via an unmistakably typological point of view. It is this perspective that makes the volume innovative. While readers unfamiliar with the foundational literature is this area may take longer to orient themselves, they will certainly come away from these papers with a clear appreciation for the explanatory import gained with a cross-linguistic approach. In sum, this book is an engaging survey of critical issues in grammaticalization that promotes the advantages of a global perspective in our attempt to explain basic questions about the origins of grammar.