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Article published In: Functions of Language
Vol. 26:2 (2019) ► pp.177–215

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Two distinct sources – one target

A diachronic contrastive study of the grammaticalization of German scheinen and English seem

 | Leibniz Universitat Hannover
 | Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Published online: 2 August 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.15062.sta
Abstract
Cross-linguistic diachronic studies have focused on the parallel or divergent development of cognate or functionally equivalent items. This paper traces the diachronic convergent development of two unrelated items by means of a case study, the development of the German verb scheinen ‘shine, emit light’ and English seem ‘(originally) befit, beseem’. Despite their different source meanings, the two verbs have grammaticalized into evidential markers, as is evidenced by the constructions scheinen + zu + infinitive and seem + to + infinitive. We use historical corpus data to show that the two verbs have converged both semantically and syntactically. Semantically the verbs converge when they acquire the sense ‘appear, become visible’, a well-known source of evidentials. Syntactically, scheinen and seem come to occur in the same range of constructional patterns. This development is more advanced in English, so that it is ahead of German by at least four centuries.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1German scheinen and English seem: Sources and targets
      • 2.1.1German scheinen
      • 2.1.2English seem
    • 2.2Evidentiality and the grammaticalization of evidential markers
  • 3.Data and Method
    • 3.1Data
      • 3.1.1German
      • 3.1.2English
      • 3.1.3German and English in comparison
    • 3.2Method
      • 3.2.1General procedure
      • 3.2.2Sense distinctions and constructions
  • 4.Results of the diachronic corpus study
    • 4.1German
      • 4.1.1Old High German
      • 4.1.2Middle High German
      • 4.1.3Early New High German
      • 4.1.4New High German
      • 4.1.5Summary
    • 4.2English
      • 4.2.1Middle English
      • 4.2.2Early Modern English
      • 4.2.3Late Modern English
      • 4.2.4Present-Day English
      • 4.2.5Summary
  • 5.Discussion: A contrastive perspective
    • 5.1Similarities and differences
    • 5.2Convergence towards a common target
    • 5.3Pace of grammaticalization
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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