Grammatikalisi

Grammatikalisi is a term occasionally used to denote the linguistic process better known as grammaticalization: the diachronic shift in which lexical items, constructions, or phrases gain grammatical functions such as tense, aspect, mood, or evidentiality. In most contemporary work the preferred label for this broad phenomenon is grammaticalization (British English: grammaticalisation). Grammatikalisi remains a niche or provisional label used by a minority of writers, and its exact definition can vary between authors. Some propose it as emphasizing the dynamic, systemic nature of language change, while others treat it as a synonym of grammaticalization.

The process proceeds through gradual reanalysis: semantic bleaching reduces the concrete meaning of a word, phonetic reduction makes it more compact, and reinterpretation as a grammatical marker or clitic leads to new syntactic function. Over time, a lexical item can become a bound morpheme, a new auxiliary, a proclitic, or part of a fixed expression.

This trajectory is documented across languages. English “going to” has shifted toward a future marker; French “aller” functions as a near-future auxiliary; various function words become affixes or clitics in other languages.

Scholars debate the usefulness of the term. Proponents argue it highlights the dynamic interplay of form and function; critics worry it creates terminological confusion. In practice, most discussions use grammaticalization, with “grammatikalisi” noted only in specific theoretical discussions.

Related topics include grammaticalization, diachronic linguistics, and affixation.