Grammaticalization (review)

Owing in large measure to the success of the first edition of this book (1993), grammaticalization has become a subject widely discussed today in linguistics. Therefore, it is gratifying to see that Cambridge University Press made a second edition of this monograph available to the academic community.

The basic structure of the first edition is maintained, with some welcome additions. Each chapter concludes with a summary stressing its most important points. This latest edition also presents some new topics relevant to grammaticalization theory, such as relationships between language learners and change (43–45), innovation and spread (46–50), and unidirectionality and frequency of grammaticalization (126–30). The bibliography of the first edition is greatly enriched with updated references to the most recent work (234–64).

The first three chapters (1–70) provide a detailed overview of grammaticalization, its mechanisms, and a short history of linguistic research on the subject. Hopper and Traugott choose a clear, easy-to-follow manner of presentation that all readers can appreciate. The theoretical material is supplemented by a wide array of references to studies from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. Examples of grammaticalization are drawn not only from English and other Indo-European languages, but also from languages like Finnish, Japanese, Ewe, and Samoyedic.

H&T change the definition of grammaticalization that they had presented in the first edition, since it led some to misunderstand the phenomenon as being independent of language users. They now define grammaticalization as a change instead of a process (xv, 18). But this, too, is not entirely satisfactory in that it does not sufficiently capture the gradual, progressive nature of grammaticalization. Besides, by stressing the crucial role of speakers in all types of language transformations (Ch. 4, 71–98), H&T have provided precisely the right antidote for any possible misunderstanding.

It is important to note that the explanation of reanalysis and conversion presented in this edition differs from that provided in the first edition as well as from the way these notions are conventionally understood. Reanalysis is taken in a broad sense to involve an interpretation of a form to have a different structure and meaning(50), whereas traditional linguistics connects it only with structural changes. Conversion, by contrast, is described in a narrow sense as a change of a nonlexical form into a lexical item (58), whereas traditional linguistics defines it as a change from one category into another.

In Ch. 5 (99–139), H&T support the theory of unidirectionality in grammaticalization, analyzing synchronic and diachronic aspects of the process. Counterexamples to unidirectionality are presented as rare and sporadic. Chs. 6 (140–74) and 7 (175–211) provide numerous illustrations of different kinds of grammaticalization beginning with that of lexical forms, proceeding to further shifts of already grammaticalized items, andfinishing with the development of simple clauses from more complex structures.

The last two chapters (212–33) focus on those areas in the theory of grammaticalization that have not yet received sufficient attention from linguists. One of these is the relationship between borrowing and grammaticalization in contact situations, especially those connected with pidgins and creoles. H& T stress the importance of heterogeneous approaches for understanding language change, suggesting a coordination of historical linguistics with research in sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and corpus studies. Areas said to be in need of further examination include patterns of grammaticalization across styles and genres, and the roles of language planning, literacy, and psychological factors in grammaticalization.

This textbook is not only a useful tool for students wishing to familiarize themselves with grammaticalization theory, but also a valuable resource that provides researchers with much needed information about the contemporary status of this theory together with extensive up-to-date references.