It has often been observed that English is gradually shifting from a predominantly synthetic towards a more analytic language (see e.g. Lutz 1997; McIntyre 2009; Haselow 2011). This thesis examines...Show moreIt has often been observed that English is gradually shifting from a predominantly synthetic towards a more analytic language (see e.g. Lutz 1997; McIntyre 2009; Haselow 2011). This thesis examines whether this gradual shift can also be observed in the way that English marks comparative forms. Many present-day English adjectives can form the comparative in two ways: by morphological means, viz. by suffixation of -er (greener), and by syntactic means, viz. by the periphrastic construction more green. Given that variation is a prerequisite of linguistic change, and that English is becoming more analytic, we would expect a gradual replacement of morphological comparatives by periphrastic constructions. Previous studies have found structural and frequency factors that affect the choice between the morphological and periphrastic comparative (see e.g. Hilpert 2008; Mondorf 2009; Cheung & Zhang 2016). This thesis also aims to examine whether these factors have an effect on the diachronic development as well. This corpus-based study examines fifteen English comparatives between 1810 and 2015. A clear replacement of morphological comparatives by periphrastic constructions can be observed from the 1950s onwards. The separate diachronic developments of the fifteen comparatives illustrate that there are clear developmental differences between these comparatives. These differences can be explained by structural and frequency factors, as will be suggested by this thesis.Show less
