The Power of Analogy: An Essay on Historical Linguistics

Dieter Wanner

Published by De Gruyter Mouton 2006

The Power of Analogy

An Essay on Historical Linguistics

Dieter Wanner

Volume 170 in the series Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs [TiLSM]

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110919813

Overview
Contents

About this book

In The Power of Anology, Dieter Wanner argues for reinstating historical linguistics, especially in (morpho-)syntax, as constitutive of any theoretical account of language.

In the first part, he provides a critique of some foundational concepts of an object-oriented linguistic perspective, questioning the distinction between synchrony and diachrony, dichotomous parametrization, grammaticality judgments, and formal generalization. Instead, the immanent perspective of the linguistic individual, licensed by broad cognitive functions, highlights such relegated dimensions as similarity, (surface) redundancy, frequency of form, and social and environmental conditions on language use.

In the second part, Dieter Wanner relies on a systematic construct of analogy as the dynamic force enabling language, tying together acquisition, language use, and linguistic change. Such analogy is pervasive, driven by local models, and inevitably spreading through the social web of linguistic practice. The unpredictability, incompletion, and typical slowness of change thereby become the norm, while categorical closure remains a marked possibility. The framework of "Soft Syntax" spells out an operative model for syntax relying on precedence, cohesion, dependence, agreement, constructional identity, and concatenation. These six dimensions and their interplay undergo a detailed exploration of their diachronic operation and implications, applying them to typical examples taken from the history of the Romance languages.

The openness of the framework enables diachronic linguistics to approach old problems in a new light and to ask new questions about the mechanics and nature of language change.

Author / Editor information

Dieter Wanner, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.

Reviews

"The Power of Analogy. An Essay on Historical Linguistics is an important contribution to thinking about language change. It sets out a theory which unifies synchrony and diachrony in ways which diminish the usual barriers between them. [...] it is highly recommended."
Margaret E. Winters in: Studies in Language 4/2008

Topics

I-IV Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	I
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	V
Contents Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	VII
List of figures. List of tables Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	XIII
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	XIV
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART I
Chapter 1 Diachrony: Positions and challenges Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
Chapter 2 Domains in historical linguistics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	27
Chapter 3 Reintegrating diachrony: A critique of some theoretical constructs Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	62
Chapter 4 Critical issues: Grammatically, representation, redundancy, and regularity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
PART II
Chapter 5 Analogy, categorization, and learning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
Chapter 6 Soft Syntax Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	152
Chapter 7 Pathways for diachronic shifts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
Chapter 8 Conclusions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	276
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	298
Index of names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	322
Subject index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
Edition: Reprint 2011
Audience: Researchers and Students in the Fields of Historical Linguistics, Syntax and Syntactic Theory as well as Romance Languages (in particular Spanish and Italian); Libraries; Academic Institutes
Pages
- Front matter: 15
- Main content: 330
Keywords: Historical linguistics; Romance languages

eBook

Published: June 24, 2011
ISBN: 9783110919813

Hardcover

Published: May 19, 2006
ISBN: 9783110188738