Constructionalization areas: The case of negation in Manchu

Abstract

Heine & Kuteva (2005) proposed the concept of a grammaticalization area. Given the recent appearance of the concept of constructionalization, (Traugott & Trousdale, 2013) it seems reasonable to ask whether there are constructionalization areas as well. The paper exemplifies this concept with the help of the Tungusic language Manchu and some surrounding lan- guages. Manchu does not have the common Tungusic negative verb e‐, but, like Mongolian, employs the negative existential akū instead (e.g., Ikegami, 1999 [1979]). Manchu and Mongolian share not only this development, but also an underlying interlingual constructional network (Höder, 2012). The paper proposes the name areal construction grammar as a label for those aspects of construction grammar that are concerned with the study of lan- guage contact.