Akadémia Kiadó

Grammaticalization, known as the most general process of the evolution of grammatical elements, is a multidimensional and complex form of language change. This volume is an attempt to reveal this phenomenon in full detail: its focus ranges from the problem of the various definitions proposed so far for the subject to the investigation of the semantic-pragmatic, and of to the formal and structural features of grammaticalization. Crucial to her approach, the author addresses the contorversial issues of grammaticalization theory, including the delineation of this kind of language change from, and its relation to other types, such as reanalysis, analogy, exaptation and pragmaticalization. Chapters illustrated with numerous examples from Hungarian are supplemented with a section of tables summarizing the characteristic grammaticalization processes observed in Hungarian.