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Mind-Bending Grammars: The dynamics of correlated multiple grammatical changes in Early Modern English writers

Descripción del proyecto

Estudio de la plasticidad cognitiva mediante cambios gramaticales

A menudo, se dice que es más difícil cambiar con la edad. Sin embargo, ¿hasta qué punto esto es cierto en relación con los cambios que se producen en los patrones gramaticales de un individuo? Se han realizado estudios sobre los procesos de cambio gramatical, pero solo a nivel de la lengua como objeto monolítico. ¿En qué medida adoptan los individuos las innovaciones gramaticales a lo largo de su vida y qué factores influyen en ese cambio? El equipo del proyecto MindBendingGrammars, financiado con fondos del Consejo Europeo de Investigación (ERC, por sus siglas en inglés), tiene como objetivo conocer mejor el modelo cognitivo de la gramática al comparar patrones de comportamiento de distintas generaciones con el desarrollo a lo largo de la vida. Los estudios de casos prácticos estarán basado en 50 prolíficos escritores ingleses del siglo XVII cuyas obras abarcan cinco generaciones.

Objetivo

Mind-Bending Grammars examines change in mental grammars of 17th century individuals across their lifespan as attested in their writings. The project treats grammar as a self-organizing network of form-meaning schemas continuously fine-tuning itself, where activating one schema may prime formally or functionally associated ones. In analyzing multiple grammar changes in healthy adults it aspires to make a breakthrough in the cognitive modelling of grammar, and is expected to bear on views of cognitive plasticity and self-organizing systems (e.g. ecosystems). To reach these goals it will determine (i) how change in one part of an individual’s grammar relates to change in another; (ii) to what extent grammar change in individuals is possible and attested beyond childhood. This is still unsettled. Formal models hold that change occurs in language acquisition, social ones that it mainly results from adult interaction. The first ignore too much adult usage, the second grammar as a system.

Seven cases are examined:
i. Progressive (I’m loving it)
ii. Future [going to] (he’s going to love it)
iii-iv. (Pseudo)clefts (it’s Eve he loves)
v. Rare passives (Eve was sent for)
vi. Subject-raising (he’s said to be nice)
vii. New copulas (get/grow hot)
Each case changes much in the 17th century, warranting separate study. Yet the changes may also be linked. Formally, going to for example started as a progressive, and this may have resulted in sustained mutual influence. Functionally all but the last may be responses to changing word order. Until c1500 time adverbs (THEN ran he), focal elements (EVE loves he) or empty subjects (THEY say he’s nice) could precede the verb. After, this position got restricted to subjects that are topics (HE ran). Progressives need no time adverbs, clefts move the focal element, and passivization/subject-raising align topic & subject; all of this helped to realize the new order. Grow & get are unassociated to other cases, and serve as a control group.

Régimen de financiación

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

Institución de acogida

UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 1 208 025,00
Dirección
PRINSSTRAAT 13
2000 Antwerpen
Bélgica

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Región
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Antwerpen Arr. Antwerpen
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 1 208 025,00

Beneficiarios (1)