The progressive in modern English [[electronic resource] ] : a corpus-based study of grammaticalization and related changes / / Svenja Kranich

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910785201903321
• Autore: Kranich Svenja
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Amsterdam, : Rodopi, 2010
• ISBN: 1-282-89947-3; 9786612899478; 90-420-3144-1
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (283 p.)
• Collana: Language and computers : studies in practical linguistics ; ; no. 72
• Disciplina: 427
• Soggetti: Grammar, Comparative and general - Grammaticalization; English language - Study and teaching
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Preliminary material / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- Introduction / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- Theoretical background and methodology / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- The functions of the progressive in present-day English / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- A brief overview of the development of the progressive before the Modern English period / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- Changes in frequency and the impact of external factors on the progressive in Modern English / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- Linguistic contexts of the Modern English progressive / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- The functions of the progressive in Modern English / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- Evidence for grammaticalization and subjectification / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- Conclusion / Editors The Progressive in Modern English -- References / Editors The Progressive in Modern English.
• Sommario/riassunto: This book constitutes the first full-length diachronic treatment of the English progressive from Old English to Present-day English, focusing on the crucial phase of its grammaticalization between the 17th and 20th centuries. It uses data from the British component of ARCHER-2 ; (A Representative Corpus of Historical English Registers, version 2) to uncover the details of this long-term grammaticalization process, tracing the development of the construction from a stylistic device to a fully-fledged aspect marker. Illustrated by a wealth of examples, the work offers new results concerning the preferred linguistic environments and the development of the functions of the progressive. In contrast to previous studies, the author shows that there are certain restrictions to context expansion in grammaticalization. She argues convincingly that the persistent reluctance of the progressive to occur in certain contexts does not point to incomplete grammaticalization, but can instead be explained as a product of its particular functions. The author also challenges the tenet that grammaticalization is generally accompanied by subjectification.