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Nominalization and the origin of subordination

  • Guy Deutscher
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Syntactic Complexity
This chapter is in the book Syntactic Complexity

Abstract

This paper argues that the paths portrayed in recent literature as the genesis of subordination are only superficial rearrangements of existing subordination, while the real syntactic-cognitive underpinnings of subordination are overlooked. (Derivational) nominalization, the ability to derive a noun from a verb, is shown as the core element in the channel of ‘expansion’, and may also be behind the genesis of relative clauses that are claimed to arise through ‘integration’. And yet, the origins of nominalization are little researched and understood, and thus accounts of the genesis of subordination are robbed of much of their explanatory power. One way is suggested to account for the genesis of nominalization without already presupposing it, based on back-formation from the process of verbalization.

Abstract

This paper argues that the paths portrayed in recent literature as the genesis of subordination are only superficial rearrangements of existing subordination, while the real syntactic-cognitive underpinnings of subordination are overlooked. (Derivational) nominalization, the ability to derive a noun from a verb, is shown as the core element in the channel of ‘expansion’, and may also be behind the genesis of relative clauses that are claimed to arise through ‘integration’. And yet, the origins of nominalization are little researched and understood, and thus accounts of the genesis of subordination are robbed of much of their explanatory power. One way is suggested to account for the genesis of nominalization without already presupposing it, based on back-formation from the process of verbalization.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Diachrony
  5. From nominal to clausal morphosyntax 23
  6. Re(e)volving complexity 53
  7. Multiple routes to clause union 81
  8. On the origins of serial verb constructions in Kalam 119
  9. A quantitative approach to the development of complex predicates 145
  10. Elements of complex structures, where recursion isn’t 163
  11. Nominalization and the origin of subordination 199
  12. The co-evolution of syntactic and pragmatic complexity 215
  13. Two pathways of grammatical evolution 239
  14. Part II. Child language
  15. On the role of frequency and similarity in the acquisition of subject and non-subject relative clauses 251
  16. ‘ Starting small ’ effects in the acquisition of early relative constructions in Spanish 277
  17. The ontogeny of complex verb phrases 311
  18. Part III. Cognition and neurology
  19. Syntactic complexity versus concatenation in a verbal production task 391
  20. The emergence of linguistic complexity 405
  21. Cognitive and neural underpinnings of syntactic complexity 433
  22. Neural mechanisms of recursive processing in cognitive and linguistic complexity 461
  23. Syntactic complexity in the brain 491
  24. Part IV. Biology and evolution
  25. Neural plasticity 509
  26. Recursion 531
  27. Index 545
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.85.08nom

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Diachrony
  5. From nominal to clausal morphosyntax 23
  6. Re(e)volving complexity 53
  7. Multiple routes to clause union 81
  8. On the origins of serial verb constructions in Kalam 119
  9. A quantitative approach to the development of complex predicates 145
  10. Elements of complex structures, where recursion isn’t 163
  11. Nominalization and the origin of subordination 199
  12. The co-evolution of syntactic and pragmatic complexity 215
  13. Two pathways of grammatical evolution 239
  14. Part II. Child language
  15. On the role of frequency and similarity in the acquisition of subject and non-subject relative clauses 251
  16. ‘ Starting small ’ effects in the acquisition of early relative constructions in Spanish 277
  17. The ontogeny of complex verb phrases 311
  18. Part III. Cognition and neurology
  19. Syntactic complexity versus concatenation in a verbal production task 391
  20. The emergence of linguistic complexity 405
  21. Cognitive and neural underpinnings of syntactic complexity 433
  22. Neural mechanisms of recursive processing in cognitive and linguistic complexity 461
  23. Syntactic complexity in the brain 491
  24. Part IV. Biology and evolution
  25. Neural plasticity 509
  26. Recursion 531
  27. Index 545
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