Reconstructing grammar : comparative linguistics and grammaticalization : [papers presented at the 7th Rice University Symposium on Linguistics, held Mar. 26-29, 1997, Rice University, Houston, Tex

Comparative linguistics and grammaticalization theory both belong to the broader category of historical linguistics, yet few linguists practice both. The methods and goals of each group seem largely distinct: comparative linguists have by and large avoided reconstructing grammar, while grammaticalization theoreticians have either focused on explaining attested historical change or used internal reconstruction to formulate hypotheses about processes of change. In this collection, some of the leading voices in grammaticalization theory apply their methods to comparative data (largely drawn from indigenous languages of the Americas), showing not only that grammar can be reconstructed, but that the process of reconstructing grammar can yield interesting theoretical and typological insights. Contributions by: Alexandra A. Aikhenvald; Wallace Chafe; Spike Gildea; T. Givn; Joseph H. Greenberg; Bernd Heine; Srgio Meira; Marianne Mithun. Editorial page......Page 3 Title page......Page 4 LCC page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Areal typology and grammaticalization: The emergence of new verbal morphology in an obsolescent language......Page 16 Florescence as a Force in Grammaticalization......Page 54 On the Genesis of the Verb Phrase in Cariban Languages: Diversity through Reanalysis......Page 80 Internal reconstruction: As method, as theory......Page 122 The Concept of Proof in Genetic Linguistics......Page 176 Grammaticalization chains across languages: An example from Khoisan......Page 192 The accidental intransitive split in the Cariban family......Page 216 The reordering of morphemes......Page 246 Language and Language Family Index......Page 272 Name Index......Page 276 Subject Index......Page 280 The Series TYPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN LANGUAGE......Page 283 Areal Typology And Grammaticalization : The Emergence Of New Verbal Morphology In An Obsolescent Language / Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald -- Florescence As A Force In Grammaticalization / Wallace Chafe -- On The Genesis Of The Verb Phrase In Cariban Languages : Diversity Through Reanalysis / Spike Gildea -- Internal Reconstruction : As Method, As Theory / T. Givón -- The Concept Of Proof In Genetic Linguistics / Joseph H. Greenberg -- Grammaticalization Chains Across Languages : An Example From Khoisan / Bernd Heine -- The Accidental Intransitive Split In The Cariban Family / Sérgio Meira -- The Reordering Of Morphemes / Marianne Mithun. Edited By Spike Gildea. Papers Presented At The 7th Rice University Symposium On Linguistics, Held Mar. 26-29, 1997, Rice University, Houston, Tex. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Annotation Comparative linguistics and grammaticalization theory both belong to the broader category of historical linguistics, yet few linguists practice both. The methods and goals of each group seem largely distinct: comparative linguists have by and large avoided reconstructing grammar, while grammaticalization theoreticians have either focused on explaining attested historical change or used internal reconstruction to formulate hypotheses about processes of change. In this collection, some of the leading voices in grammaticalization theory apply their methods to comparative data (largely drawn from indigenous languages of the Americas), showing not only that grammar can be reconstructed, but that the process of reconstructing grammar can yield interesting theoretical and typological insights In this volume some of the leading voices in grammaticalization theory apply their methods to comparative data, showing that not only can grammar be reconstructed, but that this process of reconstruction can yield interesting theroetical and typological insights.