Pragmaticalization

Book excerpt: The present volume is dedicated to the phenomenon of pragmaticalization in the context of the theory of grammaticalization. While, in recent decades, the growing interest in the analysis of pragmatic phenomena within grammaticalization research was triggered, amongst others, by studies in the field of subjectivity and intersubjectivity in language, we still lack a model for a broad understanding of how changes on the discourse level come about and face a lack of information which provides a conclusive theoretical framework to systematically record the emergence of an entire layer of discourse units in language. The book is one of the first comprehensive collections contributed to the topic of pragmaticalization, and includes empirical studies on a wide range of languages from diachronic and synchronic perspectives. Aiming to refine our understanding of pragmatic shifts which can be observed by several linguistic units, the contributions discuss such issues as pros and cons of the concept of pragmaticalization, the parameters of pragmaticalization, the emergence of discourse markers and constructions with various pragmatic functions, pathways of change, including the influence of language contact.