Language Change at the Syntax-Semantics Interface

Published by De Gruyter Mouton 2015

Language Change at the Syntax-Semantics Interface

Edited by: Chiara Gianollo , Agnes Jäger and Doris Penka

Volume 278 in the series Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs [TiLSM]

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110352306

Overview
Contents

About this book

Bringing together diachronic research from a variety of perspectives, notably typology, formal syntax and semantics, this volume focuses on the interplay of syntactic and semantic factors in language change - an issue so far largely neglected both in (mostly lexical) historical semantics as well as historical syntax, but recently brought into focus by grammaticalization theory as well as Minimalist diachronic syntax. The contributions draw on data from numerous Indo-European languages including Vedic Sanskrit, Middle Indic, Greek as well as English and German, and discuss a range of phenomena such as change in negation markers, indefinite articles, quantifiers, modal verbs, argument structure among others. The papers analyze diachronic evidence in the light of contemporary syntactic and semantic theory, addressing the crucial question of how syntactic and semantic change are linked, and whether both are governed by similar constraints, principles and systematic mechanisms. The volume will appeal to scholars in historical linguistics and formal theories of syntax and semantics.

Author / Editor information

Chiara Gianollo and Agnes Jäger, Universität zu Köln, Germany; Doris Penka, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.

Supplementary Materials

Contents

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Preface and acknowledgements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	v
Table of contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
1. Language change at the syntax-semantics interface. Perspectives and challenges Chiara Gianollo, Agnes Jäger and Doris Penka Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Semantic and formal features: Feature economy in language change Elly van Gelderen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
3. Linking syntax and semantics of adnominal possession in the history of German Simon Kasper Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
4. Most historically Remus Gergel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	101
5. The “indefinite article” from cardinal to operator to expletive Paola Crisma Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
6. The Greek Septuagint and language change at the syntax-semantics interface: from null to “pleonastic” object pronouns Nikolaos Lavidas Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
7. The agreement of collective nouns in the history of Ancient Greek and German Magnus Breder Birkenes and Florian Sommer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
8. Vedic local particles at the syntaxsemantics interface Antje Casaretto and Carolin Schneider Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
9. Aspect shifts in Indo-Aryan and trajectories of semantic change Cleo Condoravdi and Ashwini Deo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
10. The development of conditional should in English Anne Breitbarth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	293
11. The Greek Jespersen’s cycle: Renewal, stability and structural microelevation Katerina Chatzopoulou Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	323
Subject index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	355

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
Audience: Scholars in Historical Linguistics and Formal Theories of Syntax and Semantics
Pages
- Front matter: 7
- Main content: 359
Keywords: Language Change; Syntactic Change; Semantic Change; Grammaticalization

eBook

Published: December 12, 2014
ISBN: 9783110352306

Hardcover

Published: November 17, 2014
ISBN: 9783110352177

Paperback

Published: June 20, 2016
ISBN: 9783110488074