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Volume 43, Issue 1
  • ISSN 0176-4225
  • E-ISSN: 1569-9714
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Abstract

The development of the English auxiliary is a well-studied phenomenon, but there is no agreement on its source (see Denison 1993: Chapter 10). It has been suggested in the literature that a mono-causal account cannot satisfactorily capture the development (e.g., Fischer et al. 2017; Van der Auwera & Genee 2002), but no worked out alternative has been provided. In this article, we focus on the pre-innovation Old English stage and explore what properties of the verb itself and the verbal system of which it formed a part conspired to lead to the innovation. On the basis of this we propose a multiple source account in which both primary sources — uses of Old English that form the building blocks of the innovative use — and secondary sources — properties of the language system that facilitated the development — play a crucial role. We also argue that our account expands the inventory of types of multiple source explanations (cf. De Smet et al. 2015).

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2025-09-06
2026-05-10

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Multiple source explanation in language change
Diachronica 43, 41 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.24060.bre
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): auxiliary do; causative; composite predicate; multiple source explanations; Old English

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