
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
18.1 Introduction 18.1 Introduction
-
18.2 Basic Notions 18.2 Basic Notions
-
18.2.1 ‘Language Change’ vs. ‘Grammar Change’ 18.2.1 ‘Language Change’ vs. ‘Grammar Change’
-
18.2.2 Grammar Change as Parametric Change 18.2.2 Grammar Change as Parametric Change
-
-
18.3 Language Acquisition and the Actuation Problem 18.3 Language Acquisition and the Actuation Problem
-
18.3.1 Drift, Trajectories of Change, and the Role of ‘Third Factors’ 18.3.1 Drift, Trajectories of Change, and the Role of ‘Third Factors’
-
-
18.4 Diachronic Gradualness, Real and Imagined: The Transition Problem 18.4 Diachronic Gradualness, Real and Imagined: The Transition Problem
-
18.5 Grammaticalization and the Nature of Functional Categories 18.5 Grammaticalization and the Nature of Functional Categories
-
18.6 Concluding Summary 18.6 Concluding Summary
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
18 Language Change
Get accessEric Fuß graduated from the Goethe University Frankfurt and has held positions at the Universities of Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Leipzig. He is currently Senior Researcher at the Institute for the German Language in Mannheim, Germany. He has written three monographs and (co-)edited several volumes of articles. His primary research interests are language change, linguistic variation, and the interface between syntax and morphology.
-
Published:06 February 2017
Cite
Abstract
The present chapter outlines a research program for historical linguistics based on the idea that the object of the formal study of language change should be defined as grammar change, that is, a set of discrete differences between the target grammar and the grammar acquired by the learner (Hale 2007). This approach is shown to offer new answers to some classical problems of historical linguistics (Weinreich et al. 1968), concerning, specifically, the actuation of changes and the observation that the transition from one historical state to another proceeds gradually. It is argued that learners are highly sensitive to small fluctuations in the linguistic input they receive, making change inevitable, while the impression of gradualness is linked to independent factors (diffusion in a speech community, and grammar competition). Special attention is paid to grammaticalization phenomena, which offer insights into the nature of functional categories, the building blocks of clause structure.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 8 |
December 2022 | 11 |
January 2023 | 5 |
April 2023 | 11 |
May 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 2 |
September 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 4 |
January 2024 | 5 |
February 2024 | 4 |
March 2024 | 6 |
April 2024 | 6 |
May 2024 | 4 |
June 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 9 |
November 2024 | 12 |
December 2024 | 5 |
January 2025 | 10 |
February 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 7 |
April 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.