Full Description
This book presents new data and additional questions regarding the linguistic cycle. The topics discussed are the pronoun, negative, negative existential, analytic-synthetic, distributive, determiner, degree, and future/modal cycles. The papers raise questions about the length of time that cycles take, the interactions between different cycles, the typical stages and their stability, and the areal factors influencing cycles. The languages and language families that are considered in depth are Central Pomo, Cherokee, Chinese, English, French, Gbe, German, Hmong-Mien, Maipurean, Mayan, Mohawk, Mon-Khmer, Niger-Congo, Nupod, Quechuan, Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai , Tuscarora, Ute, and Yoruboid. One paper covers several of the world's language families. Cyclical change connects linguists working in various frameworks because it is exciting to find a reason behind this fascinating phenomenon.
Contents
1. List of contributors; 2. Part I Characteristics of Cycles; 3. Cyclical change continued: Introduction (by Gelderen, Elly van); 4. What cycles when and why (by Mithun, Marianne); 5. Part II Macro-cycles; 6. Is radical analyticity normal: Implications of Niger-Congo and Southeast Asia for typology and diachronic theory (by McWhorter, John); 7. An analytic-synthetic spiral in the history of English (by Szmrecsanyi, Benedikt); 8. The interaction between the French subject and object cycles (by Bahtchevanova, Mariana); 9. Part III The Negative Micro-Cycles; 10. The negative existential cycle viewed through the lens of comparative data (by Veselinova, Ljuba N.); 11. Jespersen cycles in the Mayan, Quechuan and Maipurean languages* (by Auwera, Johan van der); 12. Mayan negation cycles (by Pye, Clifton); 13. Part IV Pronominal, Quantifier, and Modal Micro-cycles; 14. The diachrony of pronominal agreement: In UTE and maybe elsewhere (by Givon, T.); 15. The degree cycle (by Wood, Johanna L.); 16. Modality and gradation: Comparing the sequel of developments in 'rather' and 'eher' (by Gergel, Remus); 17. All you need is another 'Need': On the verbal NPI cycle in the history of German* (by Jedrzejowski, Lukasz); 18. The grammaticalization of Yao and the future cycle from Archaic Chinese to Modern Mandarin* (by Santana LaBarge, Robert); 19. Author Index; 20. Subject and Language Index
