The Role of Pragmatics in Cyclic Language Change

拟议的网络汇集了来自11个国家的23名国际专家，以期调查来自不同语系的各种语言在历史上的周期性发展。语言循环是以一种有组织的方式发生的语言变化的循环模式。它们有内在的方向，通常涉及通过输入形式更新语言结构的特定语言项/元素，但在某些情况下也涉及给定项或结构的内部变化。也许最广为人知的循环发展的例子是所谓的耶斯巴森循环(Jesperen Cycle，1917)，在不同时期的许多不同语言中都观察到了这种循环。在这里，在特定语言中充当标准否定标记的词项(如古法语动词前ne)在某些语境中(如Of中的动词后Pas/Mie)首先有选择地伴随一个额外的标记。最终，新的记分器成为强制性的，而旧的记分器开始退出，并可能完全消失。然后，较新的标记可以移动到过去在某些或所有上下文中被较旧的标记占据的位置(因此，PAS现在在不定式从句中是前置动词)。在其他情况下，原来的否定标记与新的否定标记合并(如古拉丁语ne+oenum‘not one’&gt；non)。在同一种语言内或在母女语言之间可以完成几个循环，就像整个拉丁语和法语所发生的那样。虽然从20世纪初就知道了循环的发展，但最近的研究(Ghezzi/Molinelli ed2014，Hansen 2018，FC，Hansen ed FC)揭示了循环也发生在语义和语用(即)领域，在迄今为止意想不到的粒度水平上。因此，例如，现在已经过时的古法语副词/连词和现代法语副词plutôt都先后经历了从表示时间先行(‘较早’/‘较早’)到表示主观偏好(‘宁愿’)，再到表示更正(Hansen FC)的变化。网络成员将研究各种语言中的一些循环的具体案例，以更好地理解不同类型的循环的性质及其在更广泛的语言变化理论中的位置。特别是，我们将调查属于不同语言描述水平的循环如何以及在多大程度上可能相互关联。我们的工作假设是，周期是在默认的情况下务实驱动的。我们将在基于用法的语言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，循环形式的变化可以提供一个窗口，了解人类认知和/或人际行为的基本组成部分。源元素是从哪些认知域招募的？维持循环运转的力量的性质是什么？通过探索这些问题，拟议的网络将试图发现这一过程中可能存在的语言和/或认知(准)共性。成员将在两个小规模团队研讨会和一个国际公开会议的背景下介绍调查结果。此外，调查结果将以编辑后的卷/特刊的形式在知名媒体上发表。国际开放会议将有助于提高学术界对周期性语言变化的兴趣，并有助于为今后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，其中包括相关研究的不断发展的参考书目。最后，我们将通过一篇科普论文来吸引非学术受众。

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.