Linguistic Change as Cognition and Joint Action: Automatization, Inference, and Social Identity in the Grammaticalization of ‘tipo’ in Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

This article examines the grammaticalization of the lexical item tipo in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese,

approaching linguistic change as a process that is both cognitive and social. Starting from its widespread

multifunctionality in colloquial and digital registers, the study argues that the uses of tipo, as an approximator,

hedge, quotative, and discourse marker do not constitute random polysemy, but rather reflect a unidirectional

grammaticalization trajectory currently in progress. The analysis integrates two complementary theoretical

frameworks: Usage-Based Diachronic Linguistics (Bybee), which accounts for change through mechanisms such

as automatization, pragmatic inference, subjectification, and decategorialization; and Croft’s Sociocognitive

Linguistics, which conceptualizes language as joint action and highlights the role of verbalization variation and

convention within communities of practice. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative-exploratory approach,

analyzing data from Twitter (currently X) interpreted through the researchers’ native speaker intuition. The findings

indicate that the diffusion of tipo is driven not only by its cognitive efficiency in managing approximation and

speaker stance but also by its social indexicality, functioning as an identity marker in informal interactional

contexts. The article concludes that an integrated cognitive and social perspective is essential for understanding

ongoing linguistic change in Brazilian Portuguese.