The Role of Pragmatics in Cyclic Language Change

语用学在循环语言变化中的作用

• 批准号: AH/V008080/1
• 负责人: Maj-Britt Mosegaard Hansen
• 金额: $ 4.6万
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FV008080%2F1
• 关键词: Role; Pragmatics; Cyclic; Language; Change

The proposed network brings together 23 international experts from 11 countries, with a view to investigating cyclic developments in the history of a range of languages from different families. Linguistic cycles are recurrent patterns of language change taking place in a structured manner. They have inherent direction, typically involving the renewal of a particular linguistic item/element of a linguistic construction by an incoming form, but also in some instances changes internal to a given item or construction. Probably the most widely known example of a cyclic development is the so-called Jespersen Cycle (Jespersen 1917), which has been observed in many different languages at different periods. Here, an item functioning as a marker of standard negation in a given language (e.g. Old French preverbal ne) is first optionally accompanied by an additional marker in certain contexts (e.g. postverbal pas/mie in OF). Eventually, the newer marker becomes obligatory, and the older one starts to drop out, and may disappear completely. The newer marker may then move into the slot that used to be occupied by the older marker in some or all contexts (thus, pas is now preverbal in infinitival clauses). Schematically:(i) ne Verb > ne V (pas) > ne V pas > (ne) V pas > V pas > pas VIn other cases, the original negative marker merges with the newer one (e.g. Old Latin ne + oenum 'not one' > non). Several cycles may be completed within the same language or across mother-daughter languages, as has happened across Latin and French.While it has been known since the early 20th c. that cyclic developments can be found at the level of (morpho)syntactic change (i.e. grammar), recent research (Ghezzi/Molinelli eds 2014, Hansen 2018, fc, Hansen ed fc) has revealed that cycles also occur in the domain of semantics and pragmatics (i.e. meaning), at hitherto unsuspected levels of granularity. Thus, for instance, both the by now obsolete Old French adverb/conjunction ainz and the Modern French adverb plutôt have successively undergone change from expressing temporal anteriority ('earlier'/'sooner') to expressing subjective preference ('rather'), and from there to expressing correction (Hansen fc).Network members will study a number of specific cases of cyclicity from across a wide range of languages, in order to obtain a better understanding of the nature of different types of cycles and their place within a broader theory of language change. In particular, we will investigate how and to what extent cycles belonging to different levels of linguistic description may interrelate. Our working hypothesis is that cycles are pragmatically driven by default. We will develop this line of thought within a usage-based approach to language, which is particularly well suited to accounting for pragmatic influences at the level of both grammar and lexicon.As cross-linguistic patterns, cyclical forms of change can provide a window on basic building blocks of human cognition and/or interpersonal behavior. What are the cognitive domains from which the source elements are recruited? What is the nature of the forces that keep the cycle moving? By exploring these questions, the proposed network will seek to uncover possible linguistic and/or cognitive (quasi-)universals in the process.Members will present findings in the context of two small-scale team workshops and one international open-call, refereed conference. In addition, findings will be shared in the form of an edited volume/special issue published in a high-profile outlet. The international open-call conference will serve to raise interest in cyclic language change within the scholarly community and help pave the way for future international collaborations on this topic. We will also set up a website featuring, among other things, an evolving bibliography of relevant research. Finally, we will engage non-academic audiences through a popular-science paper.

拟议的网络汇集了来自11个国家的23名国际专家，以期调查不同语系的一系列语言历史上的循环发展。语言循环是以结构化的方式发生的语言变化的循环模式。它们具有内在的方向，通常涉及通过传入形式更新语言结构的特定语言项目/元素，但在某些情况下，也涉及给定项目或结构的内部变化。循环发展最广为人知的例子可能是所谓的Jespersen循环（Jespersen 1917），它在不同时期的许多不同语言中都被观察到。在这里，一个在给定语言中作为标准否定标记的项目（例如古法语动词前的ne）在某些语境中首先可选地伴随着一个附加标记（例如OF中的动词后的pas/mie）。最后，新的标记成为强制性的，而旧的标记开始脱落，并可能完全消失。新的标记可能会在某些或所有的语境中移动到原来被旧标记占据的位置（因此，pas现在在不定式从句中是动词前的）。（i）ne动词> ne V（pas）> ne V pas >（ne）V pas > V pas > pas V在其他情况下，原来的否定标记与新的标记合并（例如古拉丁语ne + oenum 'not one' > non）。在同一种语言中或在不同的母语和子语之间可能会有几个循环，就像拉丁语和法语一样。循环发展可以在（形态）句法变化（即语法）的水平上找到，最近的研究（Ghezzi/Molinelli eds 2014，汉森2018，fc，汉森艾德ed fc）揭示了循环也发生在语义和语用学（即意义）领域，在迄今为止未被怀疑的粒度水平上。因此，例如，现在已经过时的古法语副词/连词ainz和现代法语副词plutôt都相继经历了从表示时间在先性的变化。（'earlier'/'sooner'）来表达主观偏好（'rather'），并从那里表达纠正（汉森fc）。网络成员将研究来自各种语言的一些特定的循环案例，以便更好地了解不同类型周期的本质及其在更广泛的语言变化理论中的地位。特别是，我们将调查如何以及在何种程度上属于不同层次的语言描述的周期可能相互关联。我们的工作假设是，周期是由默认的务实驱动。我们将在基于用法的语言研究方法中发展这一思路，这种方法特别适合于解释语法和词汇层面的语用影响。作为跨语言模式，变化的周期形式可以为人类认知和/或人际行为的基本构建提供一个窗口。源元素是从哪些认知域中被吸收的？保持循环运行的力量的本质是什么？通过探讨这些问题，拟议的网络将寻求揭示可能的语言和/或认知（准）的共性在这个过程中，成员将在两个小规模的团队研讨会和一个国际公开电话，裁判会议的背景下提出的结果。此外，调查结果将以编辑成册/特刊的形式在知名媒体上公布。国际公开电话会议将有助于提高学术界对循环语言变化的兴趣，并有助于为未来在这一主题上的国际合作铺平道路。我们还将建立一个网站，除其他外，提供不断发展的相关研究文献目录。最后，我们将通过科普论文吸引非学术受众。