Main arguable points in grammaticalization research

Grammaticalization as a popular phenomenon in many languages has become an object of special interest among contemporary researchers. This interest is caused by the fact that there is no single approach to the definition of the term ‘grammaticalization’. As a result, its interpretations differ in many aspects. The relevance of this study can be explained by the complexity of this phenomenon and a lack of research in this field, especially in Russian linguistics. This article contains the systematization of different approaches of Russian and foreign researchers in the field of grammaticalization from the earliest mentions of this concept to modern publications. Different definitions of the term ‘grammaticalization’ offered by Russian and foreign linguists have been analyzed, and various arguable points in grammaticalization research have been identified. The research results can be used in compilation of dictionaries of linguistic terminology, analysis of grammaticalized units in different languages and in theoretical research in this field.