Unidirectionality as a cycle of convention and innovation

Abstract

Abstract The present study combines recent interest on the impact of unconventional individual language use on grammar change ( Petré and Van de Velde 2014 , De Smet 2016 ) with research on how conventional grammar impacts on language users. To better understand their interplay, I will zoom in on the interaction of unconventional and conventional behaviour of individuals in the developments of [be Ving] and [be going to|go to INF]. Apart from enhancing our understanding of the long-term effects of the urge to be expressive, an important outcome of the analysis will be that it is precisely the way in which the spiral of the conventional leads to the unconventional to the conventional again, which may help explain the phenomenon of unidirectionality in language change.

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