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Alternations emerge and disappear: the network of dispossession constructions in the history of English

Zehentner, Eva (2021). Alternations emerge and disappear: the network of dispossession constructions in the history of English. Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory, 17(3):525-561.

Abstract

This paper focuses on two main issues regarding syntactic alternations and their development over time. On the one hand, it discusses the diachronic implications of alternations as involving multiple (rather than binary) choices. On the other hand, it shows that while studies are typically interested in the emergence of alternation relationships, there are also cases of diachronic loss of such. This is illustrated by zooming in on the history of a particular set of ditransitive verbs, viz. dispossession verbs such as steal or rob, and their connection to the well-known English dative alternation. Based on a quantitative analysis of different dispossession-constructions in corpora of Middle, Early Modern and Late Modern English, I demonstrate that the network of dispossession constructions has changed considerably over time — from a complex interaction between three overlapping patterns to a clear differentiation of two non-alternating constructions.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:06 Faculty of Arts > Zurich Center for Linguistics
Dewey Decimal Classification:410 Linguistics
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Language and Linguistics
Social Sciences & Humanities > Linguistics and Language
Uncontrolled Keywords:Linguistics and Language, Language and Linguistics
Language:English
Date:30 September 2021
Deposited On:17 Feb 2022 07:37
Last Modified:27 Dec 2024 02:37
Publisher:De Gruyter
ISSN:1613-7027
OA Status:Hybrid
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1515/cllt-2020-0074
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