Qualitative study of grammaticalization, constructional change and constructionalization phenomena in the English progressive construction

Abstract

In this paper we examine qualitatively certain grammatical change phenomena undergone by English progressive constructions during their diachronic development. More specifically, we study attested primary and secondary grammaticalization processes, and estimated constructional changes and constructionalization phenomena in the evolution of these structures. We implement a qualitative standardized analysis, based on a sample drawn from the family of corpora York-Toronto-Helsinki-Penn, that demonstrates a relationship between primary grammaticalization and constructional changes, and between secondary grammaticalization and constructionalization. Finally, the concept of linguistic gradient, applied to these grammatical change phenomena, tentatively explains how these processes apparently lie in a latent state in the progressive construction in all periods of the English language.

Keywords

• lingüística histórica inglesa
• gramaticalización
• cambio construcciona
• construccionalización
• lingüística del corpus
• metodología cualitativabio construccional, construccionalización, metodología cualitativa