Semantic Paths of Lexicalization

While there is now an impressive amount of literature on the semantic changes involved in grammaticalization, studies on lexicalization in the sense of unidirectional, unguided, unconscious processes of lexico-semantic change leading to an increasing integration into the lexicon are still scarce. There remain doubts as to whether such semantic paths do indeed exist. The aim of this programmatic paper is to explore the plausibility of lexicalization paths by commenting on first observations going back to the late 19th and early 20th century, by presenting current endeavours in lexical typology as well as recent neurolinguistic insights and the role of semantic memory. I will then discuss one highly plausible path of lexicalization, i.e. the emergence of object mass nouns, by tracing the evolution of French mobilier “furniture.”