The rise of functional categories : syntactic parallels between first language acquisition and historical change
The aim of this thesis is to seek to establish a correlation between ontogeny and phylogeny in language development, suggesting that there are strong syntactic parallels between first language acquisition and diachronic language change. Through the comparison of early child English (aged 20-23 months) and earlier English, it will be argued that, although the two processes are not completely identical, the same mechanism is at work in both these domains: the rise of functional categories at certain stages of development. I propose that languages typically start as lexical-thematic, without any functional categories (i.e. DP, TP/IP, CP), and the emergence of a new functional category is the characteristic mark of a transition from one stage to the next both ontogenetically and phylogenetically. Diachronically, this process is effected by the grammaticalization as syntactic functional categories of previously existing morpho-semantic features. I propose that language variation is due to differences in the degree to which functional features are codified as grammatical categories, i.e. whether they are upgraded to functional categories which have their own projection and if so, which features are upgraded. Hence,
Osawa, Fuyo
Ontogeny; Phylogeny; Development; Syntax
The rise of functional categories : syntactic parallels between first language acquisition and historical change. The aim of this thesis is to seek to establish a correlation between ontogeny and phylogeny in language development, suggesting that there are strong syntactic parallels between first language acquisition and diachronic language change. Through the comparison of early child English (aged 20-23 months) and earlier English, it will be argued that, although the two processes are not completely identical, the same mechanism is at work in both these domains: the rise of functional categories at certain stages of development. I propose that languages typically start as lexical-thematic, without any functional categories (i.e. DP, TP/IP, CP), and the emergence of a new functional category is the characteristic mark of a transition from one stage to the next both ontogenetically and phylogenetically. Diachronically, this process is effected by the grammaticalization as syntactic functional categories of previously existing morpho-semantic features. I propose that language variation is due to differences in the degree to which functional features are codified as grammatical categories, i.e. whether they are upgraded to functional categories which have their own projection and if so, which features are upgraded. Hence,
rise functional_category syntactic parallel first_language_acquisition historical_change aim seek_establish correlation ontogeny phylogeny language development suggest strong syntactic parallel first_language_acquisition diachronic language_change comparison early child english age earlier english argue_although process completely identical mechanism work domain rise functional_category certain stage_development propose language typically start lexical thematic without functional_category emergence_new functional_category characteristic mark transition stage next diachronically process effect grammaticalization syntactic functional_category previously exist morpho semantic_feature propose language variation due difference degree functional feature codify grammatical_category whether functional_category projection feature hence