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Project

Grammaticalization or diffusion: a contrastive study of the mechanisms and factors in the development of English and Dutch infinitives.

Hendrik De Smet's postdoctoral research refines the model of diffusion established in his PhD research. First, the implications of the model are examined with respect to our understanding of the architecture of grammatical categories. The model implies that grammatical categories have complex, internally-layered structures. Confirmation of this view is sought in case-studies, such as a synchronic case-study on the structure of the category of -ing-clauses, and diachronic case-studies on the relationship between subject-marker for and the preposition for, and on the relationship between different phrasal verb particles. Second, the interaction of diffusion with other phenomena of language change is investigated, particularly grammaticalization, actualization subsequent to reanalysis, and the disappearance of constructions (which offers a mirror image of diffusion). The aim is to investigate the extent to which these processes are sensitive to the factors posited in the diffusional model. The focus, in this respect, is on the historical development of the infinitive in English and Dutch.
Date:1 Oct 2008 →  30 Sep 2014
Keywords:Grammaticalization, English infinitives, Dutch infinitives
Disciplines:Literary studies, Linguistics