Spreading Patterns: Diffusional Change in the English System of Complementation (Oxford Studies in the History of English) - Hardcover

De Smet, Hendrik

 
9780199812752: Spreading Patterns: Diffusional Change in the English System of Complementation (Oxford Studies in the History of English)
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0199812756 ISBN 13: 9780199812752
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Spreading Patterns examines how new constructions emerge and spread through the grammar of a language, in a process called "diffusion". This is done by tracking the development of three types of complements from the Middle English period to the present day. These are subject-controlled gerund complements, for…to-infinitives, and subject-controlled participial complements. In the first half of the book, De Smet focuses on how and why patterns diffuse. In the second half, which is largely corpus-based, De Smet tests his theoretical model of diffusion on the three complement types. His work demonstrates how diffusion interacts with the grammatical system of complementation, how diffusion proceeds, step-by-step, and why diffusion is directional.

Spreading Patterns will appeal to scholars and advanced students of English, history of English, and historical linguistics.

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About the Author

Hendrik De Smet is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics at the University of Leuven.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Publication date
2012
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0199812756
ISBN 13 
9780199812752
Binding
Hardcover
Edition number
1
Number of pages
304