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In:Lost in Change: Causes and processes in the loss of grammatical elements and constructions
Edited by Svenja Kranich and Tine Breban
[Studies in Language Companion Series 218] 2021
► pp. 161–198

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Loss or variation? Functional load in morpho-syntax – Three case studies

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 | University of Konstanz
Published online: 16 June 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.218.06reh
Abstract
In order to get a better understanding of the circumstances under which elements can get lost in the course of their diachronic development, three phenomena of German non-standard varieties will be compared: loss of adnominal genitive, optional realization of adjectival inflection and variation in the choice of relative clause introducers. It will be shown that on the one hand, a substitutional strategy to compensate for the function of the element that undergoes loss is required but that this alone does not necessarily lead to loss. Depending on the functional load of the individual items and the options the syntax provides the availability of a substitutional strategy may result in loss, optionality or variation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1The Alemannic dialect
    • 2.2Theoretical background: Loss from a generative perspective
  • 3.The loss of the adnominal genitive in some varieties of German
    • 3.1The decline of the adnominal genitive
    • 3.2The loss of the adnominal Genitive
  • 4.German adjectival inflection – A case of optionality
    • 4.1Why optionality and not loss?
  • 5.Relative clauses
    • 5.1The Origin of the Alemannic RCIs
  • 6.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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