Interview with Prof. Elizabeth Closs Traugott

Abstract

A distinguished scholar, Professor Emerita of Linguistics and English at Stanford University, California, Elizabeth C. Traugott has been one of the most prominent researchers of the last decades, as she has explored historical syntax, semantics and pragmatics, grammaticalization and lexicalization, among other topics. Her many publications include important works such as “A History of English Syntax” (1972), “Approaches to Grammaticalization” (1991, co-edited with Bernd Heine, 2 volumes), “Grammaticalization” (1993, with Paul Hopper, and a much revised second edition in 2003), “Regularity in Semantic Change” (2002, with Richard B. Dasher), “Lexicalization and Language Change” (2005, with Laurel J. Brinton), “Gradience, Gradualness and Grammaticalization” (2010, co-edited with Graeme Trousdale), and “The Oxford Handbook of the History of English” (2012, with Terttu Nevalainen). Currently working on a book with professor Graeme Trousdale (University of Edinburgh) on constructionalization, her current research focuses on ways to bring the theories of construction grammar, grammaticalization and lexicalization together in a unified theory of constructional change. Through this electronic interview, her expertise on historical linguistics makes for a delightful insight into linguistic change, subject of the present issue of Revista Lingui∫tica. The prelude to the questions has been kindly and spontaneously written by her.