Diachrony Of Verb Meaning, The: Aspect And Argument Structure

Description: This innovative volume offers a comprehensive account of the study of language change in verb meaning in the history of the English language. Integrating both the author's previous body of work and new research, the book explores the complex dynamic between linguistic structures, morphosyntactic and semantics, and the conceptual domain of meaning, employing a consistent theoretical treatment for analyzing different classes of predicates. Building on this analysis, each chapter connects the implications of these findings from diachronic change with data from language acquisition, offering a unique perspective on the faculty of language and the cognitive system. In bringing together a unique combination of theoretical approaches to provide an in-depth analysis of the history of diachronic change in verb meaning, this book is a key resource to researchers in historical linguistics, theoretical linguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, and the history of English.



Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Arguments and Aspect 3. Intransitives 4. Causatives and Transitives 5. Copulas 6. Psych-verbs 7. Sense Perception Verbs 8. Ditransitives 9. Changes in the Outer Aspect 10. Structural and Typological Implications



Author Biography: Elly van Gelderen is Regents' Professor in the Department of English/Linguistics concentration, at Arizona State University, USA. Her previous publications include History of the English Language (2014).