7.1342, Disc: "Sitting on the fence", Grammaticalization

[The Linguist List]

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-7-1342. Fri Sep 27 1996. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  70
 
Subject: 7.1342, Disc: "Sitting on the fence", Grammaticalization
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu> (On Leave)
            T. Daniel Seely: Eastern Michigan U. <dseely at emunix.emich.edu>
 
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Assistant Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
                   Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
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Editor for this issue: dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu (Ann Dizdar)
 
---------------------------------Directory-----------------------------------
1)
Date:  Sun, 15 Sep 1996 21:44:36 EDT
From:  teacher at dorsai.dorsai.org (ESLTEACHER)
Subject:  Re: 7.1286, Disc: "Sitting on the fence"
 
2)
Date:  Fri, 20 Sep 1996 09:27:28 +0300
From:  eitkonen at utu.fi (Esa Itkonen)
Subject:  Grammaticalization
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Sun, 15 Sep 1996 21:44:36 EDT
From:  teacher at dorsai.dorsai.org (ESLTEACHER)
Subject:  Re: 7.1286, Disc: "Sitting on the fence"
 
 
Regarding "sitting on a fence", as far as I've always understood it,
it indicated an "inability to make a choice or decision".  In my part
of the United States (and probably in the rest, as well), culturally
speaking, this would be a negative quality.
 
Meg Gam
ESL Teacher
 
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi
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2)
Date:  Fri, 20 Sep 1996 09:27:28 +0300
From:  eitkonen at utu.fi (Esa Itkonen)
Subject:  Grammaticalization
 
 
 
Of course the 'Chomskyan framework' is incompatible with
grammaticalization. Grammaticalization is generally conceptualized as
a two-stage process. (Let uas call the stages e.g. 'reanalysis' and
'extension'.) Reanalysis is based on a pre-existent model, i.e. it is
an analogical process. Extension analogically generalizes the result
of reanalysis to new contexts, i.e. it too is an analogical
process. (This will be argued more extensively elsewhere.) Now,
Chomsky's fondness of analogy is known to be minimal(ist).
 
Esa Itkonen
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