Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on the contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The phenomenon of language change
- 1 On change in ‘E-language’
- 2 Formal and functional motivation for language change
- Part II Linguistic models and language change
- Part III Grammaticalisation
- Part IV The social context for language change
- Part V Contact-based explanations
- Part VI The typological perspective
- Index
- References
2 - Formal and functional motivation for language change
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on the contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The phenomenon of language change
- 1 On change in ‘E-language’
- 2 Formal and functional motivation for language change
- Part II Linguistic models and language change
- Part III Grammaticalisation
- Part IV The social context for language change
- Part V Contact-based explanations
- Part VI The typological perspective
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
The goal of this chapter is to sort out the roles that ‘formal’ and ‘functional’ factors have been said to play in language change. An immediate challenge is to provide these two terms with enough content so that there is no uncertainty about what specifically is at stake in any explanation of a change that incorporates one of these two terms. It is not uncommon, for example, to encounter statements in the literature such as: ‘Formal pressure was responsible for the loss of instrumental case in English’ or ‘Grammatical oppositions with a low degree of functionality are more likely to be lost than those with a high degree.’ Unfortunately, such claims are often not accompanied by a sufficiently precise characterization of the notions ‘formal pressure’ or ‘degree of functionality’ to allow them to be adequately evaluated. Our first task, therefore, is to specify as precisely as possible what a ‘formal explanation’ and a ‘functional explanation’ might consist of.
Throughout this chapter a ‘formal explanation’ will designate one in which principles governing the organisation of grammars are said to play a central role. A ‘functional explanation’, on the other hand, refers crucially to properties of language users, in particular to their interest in producing and comprehending language rapidly, to their states of consciousness, or to aspects of their behaviour.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Motives for Language Change , pp. 18 - 36Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003
References
- 53
- Cited by