Change in grammar

Abstract

The chapter discusses morphological and syntactic change against the backdrop of different theoretical (formal vs. functional/usage-based) and methodological approaches (introspection vs. corpus data). Specifically, it addresses the question whether grammatical change happens suddenly in a catastrophic resetting of parameters or whether change happens in a more piecemeal, incremental fashion. The case studies that are used to illustrate syntactic demise, innovation and grammatical revival come from the area of mood (an inflectional ca Show more