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Exaptation and Language Change
Edited by Muriel Norde and Freek Van de Velde
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 336] 2016
► pp. 37–55

Being exacting about exapting

An exaptation omnibus

For historical linguists, exaptation is an attractive notion, offering an overt link with biological evolution. Nonetheless, one can ask whether it represents something substantive about linguistic change or is merely an appealing metaphor. I critically assess exaptation, using case studies suggesting that speakers in crafting new ‘grammar’ simply make use of material on hand. Whether it is ‘junk’ (Lass 1990) or not is immaterial to the speaker; what matters is a model’s availability, often a very ‘localised’ one. Through these examples, I argue that ‘exaptation’ reduces to regular and well-understood processes of diachronic morphology, particularly analogy, not limited to any component of grammar. The material forming the model for innovation can be highly restricted and can itself be an irregular bit of the grammar. Similarly, any parallels with ‘grammaticalization’ derive from these developments all being ways that speakers creatively make connections among elements in their language and act on them.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Sanskrit reduplication
  • 3.An English temporal neologism
  • 4.Another relevant English neologism
  • 5.Towards a conclusion – Some salient observations
  • 1.Conclusion – Reexamining the key questions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 24 February 2016
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.336.02jos
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Cited by (2)

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Joseph, Brian D. & Angela Ralli
2024. Chapter 10. Something out of nothing. In Historical Linguistics 2019 [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 367], ► pp. 240 ff. DOI logo
Kuo, Yueh Hsin
2020. Reinforcement by realignment in diachronic construction grammar. Constructions and Frames 12:2 ► pp. 206 ff. DOI logo

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