Grammaticalization creates new grammatical exponents out of existing (lexical)
ones. The standard assumption is that this gives rise to categorial reanalysis and
lexical splits. The present paper argues that categorial reanalysis may not be so
pervasive and that lexical splits may also be epiphenomenal. The set of empirical
data involves the development of (Indo-European) complementizers out of pronouns.
The main claim is that the innovative element (the complementizer) retains
its nominal feature; thus strictly speaking, there is no categorial reanalysis, but a
change in function and selectional requirements, allowing for an IP complement
as well. As a complementizer, the pronoun is semantically weakened (the nominal
core), and phonologically reduced (no prosodic unit). In its pronominal use, it may
bind a variable (interrogative/relative) and defines a prosodic unit. What is understood
as a lexical split then reduces to a case of different selectional requirements,
followed by different logical form (LF) and phonetic form (PF) effects.
(EL)
Humanities and the Arts ▶ Languages and literature Philology
(EN)
University of Patras
