On the grammaticalization of a nominalizing suffix in German: (-)tum

This dissertation explores the application of grammaticalization theory to the development of the suffix tum through Old High German and Middle High German. Research in grammaticalization has received much attention recently, although the tenets of the theory have been well known for some time. It is the process whereby a word form, such as a noun, for example, "evolves" into a more grammatical form, such as a derivational suffix. This process has been described according to the traditional phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic criteria along the so-called derivational-inflectional continuum, but it appears that a more fruitful approach is to utilize the more flexible and arguably more coherent parameters of grammaticalization.; The controversial role of affixoids receives treatment with respect to their placement within a panchronic perspective. Affixoids, it is argued, exist as word forms along a continuum between independent forms and derivational affixes. This position challenges the traditionally accepted classification of word classes, and leads to the proposal of a more flexible system. My work will also contribute to the understanding of the synchrony and diachrony dichotomy, but also expand the juxtaposition to a trichotomy with the notion of panchrony. The notion of linguistic gradience, a central concept in cognitive linguistics, is applied both to the data and the theory discussed.