The Role Played by Analogy in Processes of Language Change: The Case of English Have-to Compared to Spanish Tener-que

In this chapter we will argue that the outcome of processes of grammaticalisation may be determined to a large extent by analogy, by the force of analogical relations that language users perceive to be present between constructions in their language, on the basis of both concrete lexical as well as structural and functional resemblances. We propose that the pathway of a particular grammaticalisation process can only be understood when we take into account not just the changes that take place on the historical language level but also when we consider the role of the speakers who are ultimately responsible for the change.