Lexicalization and Language Change

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.

• 1. Contexts for the study of lexicalization and grammaticalization; 2. Lexicalization: definitions and viewpoints; 3. The relation of lexicalization to grammaticalization; 4. Towards an integrated approach to lexicalization and grammaticalization; 5. Case studies; 6. Conclusion and research questions.

'… very clearly structured. … Brinton and Traugott's book represents a major contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the relationship between grammaticalization and lexicalization, and their role in language change. It not only provides a complete survey of previous approaches in a systematic way but also offers a new integrated model that is applied to some of the most controversial instances of linguistic change in the history of English, with a perspective on comparable changes cross-linguistically. The extensive list of references is an invaluable source of information about the wide variety of studies within this field of language change. The book is marked by an admirable clarity and vividness and will thus be extremely useful not only for experts in the field, but also for students trying to find an orientation in matters of language change.' Folia Linguistica