Blog Archives

The secret history of grammaticalization

James McElvenny Universität Potsdam Research into grammaticalization has an established pedigree, first certified by Lehmann (2015[1982]: 1-9) and confirmed, with various additions, by Heine et al (1991: 5-23) and Hopper & Traugott (2003[1993]: 19-38).[1] The standard genealogy records the birth

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Posted in 19th century, 20th century, Article, Europe, History, Linguistics, Pragmatics, Semantics

Sapir’s form-feeling and its aesthetic background

Jean-Michel Fortis Laboratoire d’histoire des théories linguistiques, Université Paris-Diderot I find that what I most care for is beauty of form, whether in substance or, perhaps even more keenly, in spirit. A perfect style, a well-balanced system of philosophy, a

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Posted in 19th century, 20th century, America, Article, Europe, Germany, History, Linguistics

Historical and moral arguments for language reclamation

Ghil‘ad Zuckermann University of Adelaide Language is an archaeological vehicle, full of the remnants of dead and living pasts, lost and buried civilizations and technologies. The language we speak is a whole palimpsest of human effort and history. Russell Hoban

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Posted in Article, Australia, Philosophy, Revival linguistics, Revivalistics

Otto Jespersen and progress in international language

James McElvenny University of Sydney When it comes to expressing the ideas of our own day, the deficiencies of classical Latin appear with ruthless clarity: telephones and motor-cars and wireless have no room in Ciceronian Latin, and it will be

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Posted in 19th century, 20th century, Article, History, Linguistics

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