semantics and pragmatics of to-contraction

[Dan Everett]

Re: semantics and pragmatics of to-contractionThe phonological contraction is, however, well motivated generally (the to-contraction cases). In general function words like 'to' encliticize, as we all probably know. What is not motivated phonologically are the failures to encliticize and the failures to have a nonenclitic variant.

  But the idea that we are seeing change seems like it is on the right path.

  There are many idio/dialectical differences in this matter, however, that need to be studied systematically to produce generalizations with statistical significance, especially since, as Spike observed, these are at least partially sociolinguistic phenomena.

  Dan
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