The role of pragmatics in cyclic language change Introduction

In Section 1 of my introduction to this Special Issue, I define the concept of semantic-pragmatic cycles, a relatively recently discovered phenomenon, drawing a distinction between two sub-types: onomasiological and semasiological cycles. Semantic-pragmatic cycles are contrasted with the more widely known (morpho-)syntactic cycles such as the Negative Cycle (or Jespersen Cycle), and I discuss possible connections between these two types of cycles. Finally, I raise some questions for further research. In Section 2, I outline the empirical and/or theoretical contribution of each of the six papers that follow - considering, in particular, how they contribute to elucidating the role of pragmatics in cyclic change.