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...Show moreDegrammaticalisation, 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.Show less
