Subjectification, Intersubjectification and Grammaticalization

In the descriptive sections of the volume, these theoretical considerations are confronted with extensive analytical, and often also quantitative, study of empirical data mainly from English but also from Romance languages. The focus in these case studies is on the analytical and diachronic relations between subjectivity and intersubjectivity, with particular emphasis on the question how linguistic syntagms may shift towards the expression of meanings of which the hearer is an essential part. The domains covered include adverbials and modals, but also the noun phrase, to date a relatively under-researched area in grammaticalization studies. Together these three areas ensure broad verification of existing hypotheses about the relative order in which subjectification and intersubjectification take place.

This volume is mainly of interest to researchers and graduate students with a special interest in subjectification, intersubjectification and grammaticalization, and with a general interest in language change. The volume will also be welcomed by functional linguists (in a broad sense), since it is the first to bring eclectic functionalists' reflections to bear so explicitly on grammaticalization.