Author: Elly van Gelderen, Arizona State University
Hardback: ISBN: 1588115526 Pages: xvi, 320 pp. Price: U.S. $ 138.00
Hardback: ISBN: 9027227950 Pages: xvi, 320 pp. Price: Europe EURO 115.00
Abstract:
This book provides much detail on the changes involving the
grammaticalization of personal and relative pronouns, topicalized nominals,
complementizers, adverbs, prepositions, modals, perception verbs, and
aspectual markers. It accounts for these changes in terms of two structural
economy principles. Head Preference expresses that single words, i.e.
heads, are used to build structures rather than full phrases, and Late
Merge states that waiting as late as possible to merge, i.e. be added to
the structure, is preferred over movement. The book also discusses
grammar-external processes (e.g. prescriptivist rules) that inhibit change,
and innovations that replenish the grammaticalized element. Most of the
changes involve the (extended) CP and IP: as elements grammaticalize clause
boundaries disappear. Cross-linguistic differences exist as to whether the
CP, IP, and VP are all present and split and this is formulated as the
Layer Principle. Changes involving the CP are typically brought about by
Head Preference, whereas those involving the IP and VP by Late Merge.
Linguistic Field(s):
Historical Linguistics
Syntax
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