Grammaticalization of the Complex Sentence: A case study in Chadic(32 Studies in Language Companion Series)

The general objective of the study is systematic examination of the processes involved in the formation and evolution of complex sentence constructions in a group of genetically related languages. The Chadic language group, at about 140 languages, constitutes the largest and most diversified branch of the Afroasiatic family. One of the findings of the present work is that languages starting from the same base may develop quite different morphological and syntactic structures. With respect to issues of general linguistic interest, the book deals with motivations for grammaticalization: It is proposed that one of the most important motivations is satisfaction of the principle of well formedness, that is, that every element in an utterance must have its role transparent to the hearer either by inherent lexical properties or by grammatical means. In the present work both aspects of grammaticalization, viz. the emergence of grammatical constructions and the emergence of grammatical morphemes, are given equal weight. In addition to semantic metaphor and metonymy as mechanisms in the processes of grammaticalization, the present work develops the notion of semiotic metonymy, whereby a part of a sign performs the function of the sign. It is shown that semiotic metonymy plays an important role in the grammaticalization of grammatical morphemes and constructions into other morphemes and constructions. The book also shows that unindirectionality is not a governing principle with respect to the development of grammatical morphemes into other grammatical morphemes; rather, there is considerable evidence and theoretical justification for the bidirectionality principle.

Table of Contents:
1. Acknowledgments; 2. Abbreviations; 3. 1 Introduction; 4. 1.1 Aim and scope of the work; 5. 1.2 Linguistic framework of the present study; 6. 1.3 The range of issues with respect to grammaticalization; 7. 1.4 Chadic branch; 8. 1.5 A synopsis of simple sentence structure in Chadic; 9. 1.6 State of the art with respect to complex sentence in Chadic; 10. 1.7 A synopsis of complex sentence structure in Chadic; 11. 1.8 Sources and form of data; 12. 2 Paratactic and Sequential Constructions; 13. 2.1 The issues and the scope of the chapter; 14. 2.2 Hypotheses; 15. 2.3 Was there a sentential coordinating conjunction in PC?; 16. 2.4 Sources of sentential coordinating conjunctions; 17. 2.5 Functions of sequential and coordinate structures; 18. 2.6 Functions of paratactic clauses; 19. 2.7 Sources and reconstruction of the P-C sequential marker; 20. 2.8 Sequential marker as a discourse conjunction; 21. 2.9 From sequential to inflectional aspect marker; 22. 2.10 From 'God' to conjunction; 23. 2.11 Conclusions; 24. 3 Functions of Complementizers; 25. 3.1 Introduction; 26. 3.2 Modal function; 27. 3.3 Complementizer and the coding of grammatical relations; 28. 3.4 Identification and grammaticalization of complementizers; 29. 3.5 The complementizers in Masa; 30. 3.6 Conclusions; 31. 4 Complements of Verbs of Saying; 32. 4.1 Introduction; 33. 4.2 Verbs of saying; 34. 4.3 Clausal structure of sentences with verbs of saying; 35. 4.4 Omission of verbs of saying; 36. 4.5 De dicto complementizers; 37. 4.6 Origin of de dicto complementizers; 38. 4.7 Absence of complementizer: deletion or omission; 39. 4.8 Argument marking; 40. 4.9 Direct versus indirect speech; 41. 4.10 Doubt-in-truth modality; 42. 4.11 Deontic modalities; 43. 4.12 Cross-reference disjoint-reference coding: Logophoricity; 44. 4.13 Conclusions; 45. 5 Embedded Interrogatives; 46. 5.1 Introduction; 47. 5.2 The interrogative verbs; 48. 5.3 Interrogative complements in de dicto domain; 49. 5.4 Interrogative complementizers; 50. 5.5 Yes/no questions and interrogative particles; 51. 5.6 Specific (WH) questions; 52. 5.7 Deontic complements after verbs of asking; 53. 5.8 Conclusions; 54. 6 Complements of Volitional Verbs; 55. 6.1 Issues and scope of the chapter; 56. 6.2 The problem of the infinitival complements; 57. 6.3 De dicto complementizer; 58. 6.4 Subjunctive mood; 59. 6.5 Deontic complementizers; 60. 6.6 Same-subject coding; 61. 6.7 Volitional predicates; 62. 6.8 Complements of the verb 'please'; 63. 6.9 Different subject; 64. 6.10 Third person subject inclusion and exclusion; 65. 6.11 Problem of 'raising'; 66. 6.12 Conclusions; 67. 7 Complements of Verbs of Perception; 68. 7.1 Verbs of perception and complementation: state of the art; 69. 7.2 Theoretical claims: 'Raising to object'; 70. 7.3 De dicto and de re complementizers and subject raising: Lele; 71. 7.4 Subject raising; 72. 7.5 Conclusions; 73. 8 Complements of Cognitive Verbs; 74. 8.1 Introduction; 75. 8.2 The origin of verbs of knowing; 76. 8.3 Coding of the modality of knowing; 77. 8.4 Undifferentiated complementation; 78. 8.5 Conclusions; 79. 9 Temporal Clauses; 80. 9.1 Issues to be discussed; 81. 9.2 The order of clauses; 82. 9.3 Temporal clauses through juxtaposition; 83. 9.4 The relative position of temporal markers; 84. 9.5 Sources of the general protasis markers; 85. 9.6 The specific temporal clauses ('before', 'after'); 86. 9.7 Functions of apodosis markers; 87. 9.8 Sources of apodosis markers; 88. 9.9 Conclusions; 89. 10 Conditional Clauses; 90. 10.1 Issues to be discussed; 91. 10.2 Origin of the protasis markers; 92. 10.3 Functions of apodosis markers; 93. 10.4 Sources of apodosis markers; 94. 10.5 Conclusions; 95. 11 Relative Clauses; 96. 11.1 Introduction; 97. 11.2 Major constituents of the relative clause; 98. 11.3 The relative markers; 99. 11.4 Existential status; 100. 11.5 Existential status coding through postrelative markers; 101. 11.6 Coding the role of the head noun phrase; 102. 11.7 Other grammatical categories of relative markers; 103. 11.8 Sources of relative markers; 104. 11.9 Sources of postrelative markers; 105. 11.10 'Relative tenses'; 106. 11.11 Reconstruction of the relative clause in Proto-Chadic; 107. 11.12 Conclusions; 108. 12 Summary And Implications; 109. 12.1 Introduction; 110. 12.2 Implications for the study of language structure; 111. 12.3 Implications for the study of grammaticalization; 112. 12.4 Conclusions; 113. References; 114. Index of Terms; 115. Index of Languages; 116. Index of Names

Review :
Grammaticalization of the Complex Sentence is a compulsory reading matter for everybody interested in Chadic and/or Afroasiatic syntax and/or grammaticalization processes in general. The book proves once more that Zymunt Frajzyngier is the driving force and leading head in the field of Chadic syntax. Grammaticalization of the Complex Sentence is an original contribution to the specialist field of Chadic linguistics, African linguistics as well as general linguistics. It is accessible for linguists wo are not acquainted with Chadic languages or with any other African language families.