criticisms of grammaticalization

Scott DeLancey delancey at uoregon.edu
Sun Feb 26 00:52:00 UTC 2006


> 2. Grammaticalization should really be decomposed into its independently
> existing component processes. There's no point in granting explanatory
power
> to an epiphenomenon. (Newmeyer 1998, Joseph 2001, amongst others)

"Evolution" should really be decomposed into its independently existing
component processes.  We understand inheritance with variation, we
understand natural selection and ecological adaptation.  What does the
word evolution add to our understanding?  There's no point in granting
explanatory power to an ephiphenomenon.


Scott DeLancey
Department of Linguistics
1290 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1290, USA

delancey at darkwing.uoregon.edu
http://www.uoregon.edu/~delancey/prohp.html



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