Leiden University Student Repository

Cammeraat, Margje (2021)

Degrammaticalisation and the Case of English Genitive -s: A Corpus Study

Master thesis | Linguistics (MA)

Degrammaticalisation, the field of study which concerns itself with counterexamples to the hypothesis of unidirectionality, is a contested concept in grammaticalisation theory. This thesis examines the definitional issues and points of contention in (de)grammaticalisation theory. The aim was to examine the tenability of degrammaticalisation as a separate process and the limits of its definition in light of the diachronic development of the English prenominal genitive. Corpus data were probed against definitions and requirements of degrammaticalisation posited in the literature. In addition, the impact of the various definitions of both grammaticalisation and degrammaticalisation on a degrammaticalisation analysis were examined.

Degrammaticalisation

English

Genitive

Possessive -s

Grammaticalisation

Corpus Study

Author

Cammeraat, Margje

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Modern Languages

Supervisors

Dr. M.B. Elenbaas

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en