Percurrent

Percurrent is a term used in the field of linguistics to describe a linguistic feature that is present in a language but not in its parent language. This concept is particularly relevant in the study of language evolution and change. The term was coined by the linguist Joseph Greenberg in his 1963 paper "Some Universals of Grammar with Particular Reference to the Order of Meaningful Elements." Greenberg used the term to describe features that are "percurrent" in the sense that they are present in a language but not in its parent language, and thus are not inherited from it.

Percurrent features are often the result of language change, such as borrowing, analogy, or other processes of linguistic innovation. They can provide valuable insights into the history and evolution of a language. For example, the presence of a percurrent feature in a language might indicate that the language has undergone a significant change or that it has been influenced by another language.

It is important to note that the concept of percurrent features is not without controversy. Some linguists argue that the term is too broad and that it encompasses a wide range of linguistic phenomena that are not necessarily related to each other. Others argue that the term is too narrow and that it does not capture all the ways in which languages can change and evolve.

Despite these debates, the concept of percurrent features remains an important tool in the study of language evolution and change. By identifying and studying percurrent features, linguists can gain a better understanding of how languages change over time and how they are influenced by their historical and cultural contexts.