Can the lexicalization/grammaticalization distinction be reconciled?

Abstract

Recent work on the relationship between lexicalization and grammaticalization appears to yield a consensus compatible with traditional notions of gestalt linguistics. A survey of the literature indicates the complexity of this supposed dichotomy, and provides a starting point from which we may evaluate a diagrammatic approach to the problem. Examples focus on the German derivational suffix -heit, cognate with English -hood. Such suffixation has traditionally been difficult for scholars to assess in terms of lexicality and grammaticality. Taking the gestalt concepts of parts and wholes into account, the inherent flexibility and fluidity between lexicalization and grammaticalization becomes apparent.