Usualization

Abstract

The chapter discusses the nature of the process of usualization and explains its contribution to the conventionalization of innovations, to linguistic variation, change, and persistence. The process is explained with reference to Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) constructivist model of the sociology of knowledge. Usualization is responsible for the conventionalization of innovative form-meaning pairings as well as innovative forms and meanings. It is argued that linguistic variation on all dimensions, from form, structure, and meaning to situational, social, and individual variation can be handled by the unified approach suggested by the EC-Model. Usualization is a major factor in types of language change labelled by such terms as grammaticalization, lexicalization, pragmaticalization, idiomatization, and context-induced change. A case study of the development of the going-to future illustrates this potential. Not only variation and change, but also the persistence of structure are dynamic in the sense that it must be refreshed by continual usualization.