Grammaticalization
Abstract
This is a general introduction to grammaticalization, the change whereby lexical terms and constructions come in certain linguistic contexts to serve grammatical functions, and, once grammaticalized, continue to develop new grammatical functions. The authors synthesize work from several areas of linguistics, including historical linguistics, discourse analysis, and pragmatics. Data are drawn from many languages including Ewe, Finnish, French, Hindi, Hittite, Japanese, Malay, and especially English. This 2003 second edition has been thoroughly revised with substantial updates on theoretical and methodological issues that have arisen in the decade since the first edition, and includes a significantly expanded bibliography. Particular attention is paid to recent debates over directionality in change and the role of grammaticalization in creolization. Grammaticalization will be a valuable and stimulating textbook for all linguists interested in the development of grammatical forms and will also be of interest to readers in anthropology and psychology.
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oṃ's placeholder function is in part a function of its routinization.
“This is, in part, a function of its routinization as well: ' Signal simplification typically results from the routinization (idiomatization) of expressions ' (Hopper and Traugott 2003: 72)”
From Studies in<i>dhāraṇī</i>literature II: Pragmatics of<i>dhāraṇī</i>s (2014) · cites this paper as Hopper and Traugott 2003
In the case of oṃ, the new function as a discourse marker replaces the semantic value of a lexical item with the function value of a grammatical particle.
“so that, in the case of om ̣ , the new function as a discourse marker replaces the semantic value of a lexical item with the function value of a grammatical particle.”
From Studies in<i>dhāraṇī</i>literature II: Pragmatics of<i>dhāraṇī</i>s (2014) · cites this paper as Hopper and Traugott 2003
Cites
Grice, H. P. (1975) · Speech Acts · doi:10.1163/9789004368811_003 · Cited by 23,221 · see citing works
Presumptive Meanings: The Theory of Generalized Conversational Implicature
Levinson, S. C. (2000) · doi:10.7551/mitpress/5526.001.0001 · Cited by 2,404 · see citing works
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Word meanings across languages support efficient communication
Regier, T., Kemp, C., & Kay, P. (2015) · The Handbook of Language Emergence · doi:10.1002/9781118346136.ch11 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Semantic typology and efficient communication
Kemp, C., Xu, Y., & Regier, T. (2018) · Annual Review of Linguistics · doi:10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011817-045406 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Languages adapt to their contextual niche
WINTERS, J., KIRBY, S., & SMITH, K. (2015) · Language and Cognition · doi:10.1017/langcog.2014.35 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Studies in<i>dhāraṇī</i>literature II: Pragmatics of<i>dhāraṇī</i>s
Davidson, R. M. (2014) · Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies · doi:10.1017/s0041977x13000943 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
- Authors
- Hopper, P. J., & Traugott, E. C.
- Affiliations
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
- Stanford University (US)
- Venue
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Published
- 2003-07-31
- OpenAlex
- W4211093623
- Cited by
- 2,135
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 117 · 2025: 169 · 2024: 135 · 2023: 115 · 2022: 136 · 2021: 154 · 2020: 198 · 2019: 185 · 2018: 136 · 2017: 148 · 2016: 83 · 2015: 104 · 2014: 176 · 2013: 35 · 2012: 36
- FWCI
- 21.11
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cambridge University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Linguistics and language evolution
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Historical Linguistics and Language Studies
- Keywords
- grammaticalization, creolization, lexicalization, grammaticalization theory, historical linguistics, discourse analysis, pragmatics
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