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Grammaticalization from a Typological Perspective

Bernd Heine editor Heiko Narrog editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:1st Nov '18

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Grammaticalization from a Typological Perspective cover

This volume explores the way in which grammaticalization processes - whereby lexical words eventually become markers of grammatical categories - converge and differ across various types of language. While grammaticalization at its core is a unidirectional phenomenon, in which the same pathways of change are replicated across languages, certain language types and language areas have distinct preferences with respect to what they grammaticalize and how. Previous work has principally addressed this question with specific reference to languages of Southeast and East Asia that do not seem to grammaticalize paradigms of categories in the same manner as Indo-European languages, or form extensive grammaticalization chains. This volume takes a broader approach and proceeds systematically area by area: specialists in the field address the processes of grammaticalization in languages of Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas, and in creole languages. The studies reveal a number of unique pathways of grammaticalization in each language area, as well as identifying the universal shared features of the phenomenon.

...there is little doubt that this volume is as a pivotal contribution to its field. As a companion to the study of grammaticalization across language families, it is here to stay. As a contribution to the debates on the nature and definition of grammaticalization, it delivers a considerable amount of new insights, puzzling questions and interesting hypotheses...everyone interested in grammaticalization theory should benefit from reading this collection of papers. * Pierre-Yves Modicom, Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3, LINGUIST List *
We can expect this collection of papers to stay a reference work for many typologists and grammaticalization scholars for the years to come... there is little doubt that this volume is as a pivotal contribution to its field. * Pierre-Yves Modicom, Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux, The Linguist *

ISBN: 9780198795841

Dimensions: 243mm x 162mm x 32mm

Weight: 892g

494 pages