Article published In: Computational Construction Grammar and Constructional Change
Edited by Katrien Beuls and Remi van Trijp
[Belgian Journal of Linguistics 30] 2016
► pp. 115–146
Unidirectionality as a cycle of convention and innovation
Micro-changes in the grammaticalization of [be going to INF]
Published online: 10 January 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.30.06pet
https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.30.06pet
Abstract
The present study combines recent interest on the impact of unconventional individual language use on grammar change (Petré, Peter, and Freek Van de Velde. 2014. “Tracing Real-Life Agents’ Individual Progress in Ongoing Grammaticalization.” In How Grammaticalization Processes Create Grammar (workshop held at EVOLANG10, Vienna, Austria, 14–17 April 2014) Proceedings, ed. by Luc Steels, and Remi van Trijp. ([URL]), De Smet, Hendrik. 2016. “How Gradual Change Progresses: The Interaction between Convention and Innovation.” Language Variation and Change 281: 83–102. ) with research on how
conventional grammar impacts on language users. To better understand their interplay, I will zoom in on the interaction of unconventional
and conventional behaviour of individuals in the developments of [be Ving] and [be
going
to|go
to INF]. Apart from enhancing our understanding of the long-term effects of the urge to be
expressive, an important outcome of the analysis will be that it is precisely the way in which the spiral of the conventional leads to the
unconventional to the conventional again, which may help explain the phenomenon of unidirectionality in language change.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Unconventionality creates conventionality creates unconventionality…
- 3.The semanticization of progressive aspect in [be Ving]
- 3.1The grammaticalizing effect of unintended system dynamics
- 3.2From system dynamics to unconventional innovation
- 4.Data and methodology for identifying extravagance
- 4.1In search of extravagance
- 4.2Size matters
- 4.3Brief sketch of the grammaticalization of [be going to INF]
- 5.Analysis of the competition between [go
to INF] and [be
going to INF]
- 5.1Introduction
- 5.2Analysis by generation
- 5.3Idiosyncratic variation
- 6.Conclusion
- Notes
References
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