Chapter published in:
The Diachrony of Classification Systems
Edited by William B. McGregor and Søren Wichmann
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 342] 2018
► pp. 283–314

The diachrony of inflectional classes in four Germanic languages

What happens after transparency is lost?

Inflectional classes are classification systems lacking a discernible synchronic function. We ask how former functions can be lost and, more importantly, what happens after this loss. In a comparative analysis contrasting four Germanic languages (Swedish, Danish, Dutch and German) and two lexical categories (noun declensions versus verb conjugations), we describe changes in the number of allomorphs, their relation to grammatical category exponence and the conditioning of class membership. Inflectional classes are retained in all four languages but reorganized in several respects. The comparison reveals common principles (allomorphy is retained if tied to relevant categories) and divergences (different degrees of simplification in the conditioning and number of allomorphs). A general discussion relates the findings to grammaticalization and to fundamental differences of the lexical categories concerned, and considers the question of whether inflectional classes can be termed functional or not.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Prehistory of inflectional classes in Germanic languages
    • 2.1Prehistory of declensions
    • 2.2Prehistory of conjugations
      • 2.2.1Grammaticalization
      • 2.2.2Reanalysis
      • 2.2.3Semantic conditioning: traces in Old High German
  • 3.Reorganization of inflectional classes in four Germanic languages
    • 3.1Number of classes
      • 3.1.1Number of declensions
      • 3.1.2Number of conjugations
      • 3.1.3Number of inflectional classes in contrast
    • 3.2Exponence of inflectional classes
      • 3.2.1Exponence of declension classes
      • 3.2.2Exponence of conjugation classes
      • 3.2.3Exponence of inflectional classes: comparison
    • 3.3Conditioning of class membership
      • 3.3.1Conditioning of declension classes
      • 3.3.2Conditioning of conjugation classes
      • 3.3.3Conditioning of inflectional classes: comparison
  • 4.General discussion
    • 4.1Declensions versus conjugations
    • 4.2Refunctionalization
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 14 May 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.342.10dam
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