Original scientific paper
On Representing Syntactic Change: Towards a Theory of Diachronic Syntax
Ranko Matasović
Abstract
This paper discusses different approaches to diachronic syntax inherent in the difference
between the functionalist syntactic theories (such as Role-and-Reference Grammar) and generative
theories (such as Minimalism). It is shown that functionalist and generative theories
make different predictions with respect to the possibility and relative frequency of particular
syntactic changes, as well as with respect to the diachronic stability of certain syntactic
features in linguistic families. Moreover, the Principle of Diachronic Stability, suggested
by the author, predicts that semantically and pragmatically motivated syntactic features
behave differently in the history of languages. This principle can be formulated only in
a theory such as Role-and-Reference Grammar, which takes into account semantic and
pragmatic factors that shape the syntax of a language.
Keywords
diachronic syntax; principle of diachronic stability; Role-and-Reference Grammar
Hrčak ID:
16335
URI
Publication date:
20.9.2002.
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