Meaning Change in Grammaticalization

Abstract

In this paper, I want to establish semantic reanalysis as an independent mode of meaning change in language history. My point of departure will be cases of language change that have traditionally been classed as "grammaticalization", on one hand because we will find very nice instances of semantic reanalysis particuarly in that field, and on the other hand because I think that the notion of semantic reanalysis that I propose can be particularly helpful in elucidating some hitherto poorly understood semantic changes in grammaticalization. In order to achive this double purpose, to characterise semantic reanalysis and to demonstrate its power as a tool of diachronic analysis, the paper is organized in the following way: I will first briefly present some cases of grammaticalization, focussing mainly on the meaning changes they involve. I will next give an overview over previous proposals as to what kind of semantic processes underlie these changes, arguing that neither of them is fully convincing. I will then demonstrate how the meaning side of the changes in question can be analysed as semantic reanalysis in semantic composition. Finally, I will evaluate the emerging picture with respect to the common observation that the meanings of words in grammaticalization just "fade away" or "bleach".

How ‘person’ got into focus: Grammaticalization of clefts in Lingala and Kikongo areas

“…Although in some way the possibilities of the (original) head noun and the focused element seem to be two sides of the same coin, we discuss them separately, because they are clearly two parameters in the overall change from cleft to focus construction and languages show a continuum in both parameters. 8 8 Note that our suggestion that there is a continuum in semantic change is not incompatible with Eckardt's (2006) ideas that semantic changes are small but discrete steps. A speaker will at a given point always have certain semantic specifications for moto, which can be pragmatically enriched until reaching a pragmatic overload, at which point the semantics of the word and/or construction will be extended (e.g.…”

4. Most historically

“…especially the conventionalization of side-meanings in a compositional set-up and the solving of "semantic equations" (Eckardt 2006). especially the conventionalization of side-meanings in a compositional set-up and the solving of "semantic equations" (Eckardt 2006).…”

30 Middle English: Pragmatics and discourse

“…and scale their heads. These heads are typically nominal, not adjectival, as in Only John came (see Kö nig and Siemund 1999;Eckardt 2006). They derive from lexical items with less scalar, often more concrete, meanings (very < 'tru(ly)', even < 'exact(ly)', ultimately < 'even(ly), smooth(ly)', and rather < 'sooner') (Traugott 2006).…”