Lexicalization and Language Change

Lexicalization, a process of language change, has been conceived in a variety of ways. In this up-to-date survey, Laurel Brinton and Elizabeth Traugott examine the various ideas that have been presented. In light of contemporary work on grammaticalization, they then propose a new, unified model of lexicalization and grammaticalization. Their approach is illustrated with a variety of case studies from the history of English, including present participles, multi-word verbs, adverbs, and discourse markers, as well as some examples from other Indo-European languages.

Examines the ways in which lexicalization, a process of language change, has been presented in the literature.

Laurel J. Brinton is Professor in the Department of English, University of British Columbia.

Elizabeth Closs Traugott is Emerita Professor of Linguistics and English at Stanford University.