Assesses the nature and value of grammaticalization. Attempts to show that grammaticalization is derivative, that it has no status of its own but relies on other processes and mechanisms of linguistic change that exist independently of grammaticalization but that provide the explanations for the phenomena involved in grammaticalization.…

Emphasizes sociolinguistic factors--the contexts of grammaticalization--which rarely play a role in the grammaticalization literature. Stresses the need to focus on the perspective of individual speakers as well as to address the issue of how extremely long-term trends in grammars can be replicated through the actions of speakers. (Author/VWL)

Introduces the articles in this issue of "Language Sciences," which are dedicated to taking stock of both grammaticalization and so-called "grammaticalization theory." This introduction sets the stage for other papers by surveying the large range of definitions of grammaticalization in the literature and placing them in…

Scrutinizes claims that grammaticalization is a process and tests diachronic grammaticalization-based claims regarding the so-called Pro-Drop parameter. (Author/VWL)

Grammaticalization is often regarded in the literature as a distinct process requiring explanatory machinery unique to its own domain. Argues, on the contrary, that grammaticalization is simply a cover term for certain syntactic, semantic, and phonetic changes, all of which apply independently of each other. (Author/VWL)

The premise that diglossamania, which is a pressure for second language learners to produce in English the equivalent style of the mother tongue, and which in turn leads to an artificial style, is discussed. (HP)

Discusses how deflexion counters certain grammaticalization-related claims and emphasizes the socio-cultural context of overall grammar, arguing that grammaticalization changes must be understood in the context of a grammar's history as a whole. Using data from Swedish, shows that deflexion (directly or indirectly) results in the upgrading of…

Tests the understanding of French pronominal-verbal constructions on native and English speakers of French and assesses their sensitivity to the possible multiple readings such as: reflexive, reciprocal, intrinsic, and passive. The article attributes the superior performance of English speakers to the corresponding morphosyntactic and lexical…