Principles of Diachronic Syntax [Paperback]

This study offers one of the first systematic accounts of syntactic change and will be of interest to a wide range of linguists.The study of syntactic change has been much neglected in the past. Historical linguists have tended to concentrate on phonology, lexis and morphology whilst most theoretical studies of syntax have been deliberately synchronic in intention.The study of syntactic change has been much neglected in the past. Historical linguists have tended to concentrate on phonology, lexis and morphology whilst most theoretical studies of syntax have been deliberately synchronic in intention.The study of syntactic change has been much neglected in the past. Historical linguists have tended to concentrate on phonology, lexis and morphology whilst most theoretical studies of syntax have been deliberately synchronic in intention. In particular, theories of generative grammar have not been responsive to diachronic data and a fortiori have not yielded a convincing account of language change or of the interrelationships between different kinds of change. This study will be of interest to a wide range of linguists. It offers one of the first systematic accounts of a difficult and important topic, with implications for the whole field of linguistics and language study.Foreword; 1. Preliminaries; 2. A paradigm case: The English modals; 3. A theory of change; 4. More category changes; 5. Changes in the lexicon; 6. On cyclic transformations; 7. The causes of reanalysis; Bibliography; Citation index.