Spreading Patterns : Diffusional Change in the English System of Complementation
Overview
Spreading Patterns examines how new constructions emerge and spread through the grammar of a language, in a process called "diffusion." This is done by tracking the development of three types of complements from the Middle English period to the present day. These are subject-controlled gerund complements, forELto-infinitives, and subject-controlled participial complements. In the first half of the book, De Smet focuses on how and why patterns diffuse. In the second half, which is largely corpus-based, De Smet tests his theoretical model of diffusion on the three complement types. His work demonstrates how diffusion interacts with the grammatical system of complementation, how diffusion proceeds, step-by-step, and why diffusion is directional.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780199812752
- ISBN-10: 0199812756
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publish Date: December 2012
- Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.19 pounds
- Page Count: 304
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