A hierarchical approach to grammaticalization

This paper argues that grammaticalization processes can be systematically described using the framework of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). Grammaticalization is seen as a combination of contentive and formal change, and, crucially, it is argued that these need not go hand in hand, though there are restrictions on how they combine. It is argued that contentive change always involves scope increase, where scope is defined in terms of the levels and layers distinguished in FDG. Formal change is not defined in terms of specific formal categories, as in earlier grammaticalization hierarchies, but is rather defined in terms of the distributional behaviour of grammaticalized elements.This way, formal change can be defined independently of the morphological type of a language. Finally, it is shown that contentive change and formal change are two independent processes, though their interaction is severely limited, in the sense that when an item moves up along the contentive cline, it cannot move down along the formal cline. Similarly, an item can not move up the formal cline while moving down the contentive cline.