The "negative end" of change in grammar: terminology, concepts and causes

TL;DR

This paper explores the under-researched area of the 'negative end' of grammatical change, focusing on terminology, concepts, and causes behind language decline and obsolescence.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of terminology, concepts, and causes related to the decline and obsolescence of grammatical constructions in language change.

Findings

Loss and decline are key processes in language change.

Causes include competition and usage frequency decrease.

The paper clarifies terminology and conceptual frameworks.

Abstract

The topic of "negative end" of change is, contrary to the fields of innovation and emergence, largely under-researched. Yet, it has lately started to gain an increasing attention from language scholars worldwide. The main focus of this article is threefold, namely to discuss the i) terminology; ii) concepts and iii) causes associated with the "negative end" of change in grammar. The article starts with an overview of research conducted on the topic. It then moves to situating phenomena referred to as loss, decline or obsolescence among processes of language change, before elaborating on the terminology and concepts behind it. The last part looks at possible causes for constructions to display a (gradual or rapid, but very consistent) decrease in the frequency of use over time, which continues until the construction disappears or there are only residual or fossilised forms left. Keywords: loss, obsolescence, decline, competition, higher