Part of
Shared Grammaticalization: With special focus on the Transeurasian languagesEdited by Martine Robbeets and Hubert Cuyckens
[Studies in Language Companion Series 132] 2013
► pp. 43–66
Edited by Martine Robbeets and Hubert Cuyckens
[Studies in Language Companion Series 132] 2013
► pp. 43–66
Chapter 3. Demystifying drift
A variationist account
The notion of drift in language change has often been given a somewhat mystical interpretation, as a sort of linguistic “invisible hand”. However, it can be given substance through the recognition of proto-language variability. That is, if variable elements of a proto-language are inherited into individual languages as variation, and if that variability is sociolinguistically submerged, waiting to bubble up to the surface under different sociolinguistic conditions, then it stands to reason that related languages could show parallel developments that make an overt appearance late in their respective traditions. It is argued here that there is nothing mystical about drift and that the phenomenon can be rationalized from a sociolinguistic standpoint.
Cited by
Cited by 5 other publications
Colleran, Rebecca
2019. Leveraging grammaticalization. In Developments in English Historical Morpho-Syntax [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 346], ► pp. 77 ff. 
Joseph, Brian D.
2015. Multiple sources and multiple causes multiply explored. In On Multiple Source Constructions in Language Change [Benjamins Current Topics, 79], ► pp. 205 ff.
Reid, Lawrence A.
2016. Accounting for variability in Malayo-Polynesian pronouns. Journal of Historical Linguistics 6:2 ► pp. 130 ff.
Robbeets, Martine
2016. Chapter 9. Insubordination and the establishment of genealogical relationship across Eurasia. In Insubordination [Typological Studies in Language, 115], ► pp. 209 ff.
Robbeets, Martine
2017. The development of finiteness in the Transeurasian languages
. Linguistics 55:3 ► pp. 489 ff.
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