Situation-bound utterances and constructional networks: The evolution of the Hebrew see-farewell family

Abstract

Greetings and wishing farewell are examples of cultural norms that are essential to the proper conduct of social interactions. The role and function of the linguistic units performing these rituals have been extensively studied. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the historical evolution of such situation-bound utterances (SBUs). Using the framework of Diachronic Construction Grammar (DCxG), this paper aims to contribute to the diachronic account of SBUs by exploring how a family of such units may develop and evolve through time. Focusing on a revived language that presents a case of recent, ongoing paradigmaticization, the paper examines the different paths of change of three Hebrew see-farewell patterns existing during the 20th century: lehitraot (see.recp.inf), nitrae (see.recp.fut.1.pl), and nitrae panim (see.recp.fut.1.pl face). Corpus data reveal that this family has evolved through changes in its members’ degree of entrenchment. Qualitative and quantitative analyses indicate that each member underwent different processes affecting this reorganization, e.g. routinization, attraction, and substitution, due to varying degrees of intra-family similarity. Overall, the findings suggest that linguistic items may be more prone to specific types of change depending on the level of likeness to other paradigmatic units.