Intensifiers in Current English
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Transatlantic Variation in English Adverb Placement
Language Variation and Change, 25 (2013), 179–200. © Cambridge University Press, 2013 0954-3945/13 $16.00 doi:10.1017/S0954394513000082 Transatlantic variation in English adverb placement C ATHLEEN W ATERS University of Toronto ABSTRACT This study examines the placement of an adverb with respect to a modal or perfect auxiliary in English (e.g., It might potentially escape / It potentially might escape). The data are drawn from two large, socially stratified corpora of vernacular English (Toronto, Canada, and York, England) and thus allow a cross-dialect perspective on linguistic and social correlates. Using quantitative sociolinguistic methods, I demonstrate similarity in the varieties, with the postauxiliary position generally strongly favored. Of particular importance is the structure of the auxiliary phrase; when a modal is followed by the perfect auxiliary (e.g., It might have escaped), the rates of preauxiliary adverb placement are considerably higher. As the variation is chiefly correlated with linguistic, rather than social factors, I apply recent proposals from Generative syntax to further understand the grammar of the phenomenon. However, the evidence suggests that the variability seen here is a result of postsyntactic, rather than syntactic, processes. Quantitative sociolinguistic study of adverbs has been limited, and much of the comparative work that has been undertaken on English has focused solely on morphological variation of the suffix -ly (Aijmer, 2009; Algeo, 2006; Biber, Johansson, Leech, Conrad, & Finegan, 1999; Opdahl, 2000). This work addresses the lacuna by examining a facet of adverb placement in two varieties of English using data from large, socially stratified corpora of vernacular English (described herein). -
The Renewal of Intensifiers and Variations in Language Registers: a Case-Study of Very, Really, So and Totally Lucile Bordet
The renewal of intensifiers and variations in language registers: a case-study of very, really, so and totally Lucile Bordet To cite this version: Lucile Bordet. The renewal of intensifiers and variations in language registers: a case-study ofvery, really, so and totally. Intensity, intensification and intensifying modification across languages, Nov 2015, Vercelli, Italy. hal-01874168 HAL Id: hal-01874168 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01874168 Submitted on 16 Feb 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. The renewal of intensifiers and variations in language registers: a case- study of very, really, so and totally Lucile Bordet Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 CEL EA 1663 Abstract: This paper investigates the renewal of intensifiers in English. Intensifiers are popularised because of their intensifying potential but through frequency of use they lose their force. That is when the renewal process occurs and promotes new adverbs to the rank of intensifiers. This has consequences on language register. “Older” intensifiers are not entirely replaced by fresher intensifiers. They remain in use, but are assigned new functions in different contexts. My assumption is that intensifiers that have recently emerged tend to bear on parts of speech belonging to colloquial language, while older intensifiers modify parts of speech belonging mostly to the standard or formal registers. -
I. the Passive in English
I. The Passive in English 1.1 Introduction: Voice The passive is a part of a wider concept - the concept of 'voice*. Therefore, one may firstly try to find out what the term 'voice' means. 1.1.1 The Origin of the Term 'Passive' The passive is a part of the voice system in English, which has attracted attention of grammarians and linguists for long. Mustanoja (1960) states that the primitive Indo-European had two voices, active and middle. The passive is a later development. The middle disappeared as the passive gained ground. According to Mustanoja (1960), the ultimate origin of the passive voice is obscure. Bloomfield (1963) goes back to Latin and points out that there are two types of construction - one with an actor-action construction: amat 'he (she, it) loves', and one with a goal-action construction: amatur 'he (she, it) is loved'. Similarly, Hockett (1958) states that two of the inflectional categories that Latin verbs have are 'voice' and 'aspect'. There are two voices, 'active' and 'passive', and there are two aspects, 'imperfective' and 'perfective'. According to Myers (1966), Latin has one set of active inflections called the 'active voice', and an incomplete set of inflections, such as 'vocor', pieced out with verb phrases such as 'vocatus sum', called the 'passive voice'. Myers (1966) rightly points out that English does not have two comparable sets of inflections, but the term 'voice' is still used. In the study of the grammar of English, these terms were initially borrowed fi-om the study of Latin. 1.1.2 Definitions of Voice Gorrell and Laird (1953) define voice as a distinction in verb forms between the active, in which the subject of the verb is the actor, and the passive, in which the subject of the verb receives the action. -
The Morphology, Syntax, and Semantics of Adverbs in Cantonese
THE MORPHOLOGY, SYNTAX, AND SEMANTICS OF ADVERBS IN CANTONESE WONG LA1 YIN ZER M. PHIL. THESIS THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG 2002 Abstract of thesis entitled The Morphology, Syntax, and Semantics of Adverbs in Cantonese submitted by Wong Lai Yin for the degree of Master of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in September 2002 This thesis reports on a study of adverbs in Cantonese as it is spoken in contemporary Hong Kong. Previous studies of Cantonese adverbs have put particular emphasis on the grammatical meanings of a few individual adverbs, for instance, the adverb % sin] (Cheng, 1990; Cai, 1995; Luke 2002; among others). The general properties of the adverb class as a whole have received relatively scant attention. In this study, the characteristics of Cantonese adverbs, and especially the morphologically, semantically and syntactically relevant aspects of these adverbs are investigated in greater depth. The search for general patterns has been given priority above the description of the peculiarities of each individual adverb. Linguists have generally agreed that an adverb can serve as an adverbial in a sentence (see, for example, Quirk & Greenbaum, 1973). Zhu Dexi (1982), in particular, provides the most insightful criterion in distinguishing adverb f?om other word classes. He proposes that an adverb can and can only function as adverbial, and never hnction as any other sentence constituent like subject and predicate. In the present study, only those words that can function only as adverbials according to Zhu's analysis are identified as adverbs. Particular attention is given to distinguishing adverbs from adjectives, time words (nouns) and conjunctions, which are commonly used as adverbials as well. -
A Syntactic Analysis of Negation in Latin: Negated Quantifier Phrases
A Syntactic Analysis of Negation in Latin: Negated Quantifier Phrases Maria C Tierney April 2018 New York University Department of Linguistics Senior Honors Thesis Advisor: Professor Chris Collins Second Reader: Professor Richard Kayne Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to give innumerable thanks to my advisor and mentor Professor Chris Collins, without whom this thesis would not have been possible. His endless support, assistance, and enthusiasm allowed me to attempt this project and complete it to my best abilities. All of its failings are my own; however, its successes would not have been possible without the guidance and support of Professor Collins. I could not have wished or hoped for a better advisor. Next, I would like to thank the other professors and mentors in New York University’s Department of Linguistics who have helped me reach this point in my academic career. In particular, I would like to thank Richard Kayne, an inspiring scholar and professor who was kind enough to offer me his feedback and encouragement. I would also like to thank Hadas Kotek and Stephanie Harves for their support and guidance, as well as Maria Kouneli, who was an encouraging TA in my very first syntax class. The scholars of syntax in the NYU Department of Linguistics are an amazing, world-class group of individuals, and I feel immeasurably lucky to have had the opportunity to work among them. Outside of the realm of syntax, countless other professors and scholars both inside and outside the NYU Department of Linguistics have offered me their support and guidance. -
ON the NOTION of SUBJECT for SUBJECT-ORIENTED ADVERBS Mikinari Matsuoka
ON THE NOTION OF SUBJECT FOR SUBJECT-ORIENTED ADVERBS Mikinari Matsuoka University of Yamanashi This article investigates the nature of predication of so-called subject-oriented adverbs in English. It is noted that there are both conceptual and empirical issues to be addressed. On the conceptual side, there is no consensus in previous studies on what exactly the notion of subject is for these adverbs and why these adverbs have an orientation to the subject. On the empirical side, there are circumstances in which some of the adverbs seem to be construed with the object argu- ment of the verb. This article focuses on these problems through an examination of the adverbs occurring in locative, passive, unaccusative, and resultative constructions. It is argued that when these adverbs seem to be associated with the object , they are predicated of a phonetically empty pronoun that occurs as the subject of a small clause, controlled by the object. Moreover, it is indicated that subject-oriented adverbs occurring in different positions across different construc- tions are all parasitically predicated of DPs that are introduced by a functional head in primary predication. Given the proposal made in recent studies that predication relationships between lexical categories and their external arguments in general are mediated by a functional head, it is claimed that subject-oriented adverbs also need to be supported by such a head to be associated with DPs. Thus, it is concluded that the notion of subject for these adverbs and their orientation are derived from the general theory of predication.* Keywords : adverb, locative, predication, resultative, small clause, subject 1. -
ED311449.Pdf
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 311 449 CS 212 093 AUTHOR Baron, Dennis TITLE Declining Grammar--and Other Essays on the English Vocabulary. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, Ill. REPORT NO ISBN-0-8141-1073-8 PUB DATE 89 NOTE :)31p. AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 Kenyon Rd., Urbana, IL 61801 (Stock No. 10738-3020; $9.95 member, $12.95 nonmember). PUB TYPE Books (010) -- Viewpoints (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *English; Gr&mmar; Higher Education; *Language Attitudes; *Language Usage; *Lexicology; Linguistics; *Semantics; *Vocabulary IDENTIFIERS Words ABSTRACT This book contains 25 essays about English words, and how they are defined, valued, and discussed. The book is divided into four sections. The first section, "Language Lore," examines some of the myths and misconceptions that affect attitudes toward language--and towards English in particular. The second section, "Language Usage," examines some specific questions of meaning and usage. Section 3, "Language Trends," examines some controversial r trends in English vocabulary, and some developments too new to have received comment before. The fourth section, "Language Politics," treats several aspects of linguistic politics, from special attempts to deal with the ethnic, religious, or sex-specific elements of vocabulary to the broader issues of language both as a reflection of the public consciousness and the U.S. Constitution and as a refuge for the most private forms of expression. (MS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY J. Maxwell TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." U S. -
A Morphological Comparative Study Between Albanian and English Language
European Scientific Journal A morphological comparative study between Albanian and English language Aida Kurani Anita Muho University “Aleksander Moisiu”, Durres, Albania Abstract: The aim of this study is to point out similarities and differences of English and Albanian language in the morphological level, trying to compare different parts of speech of both languages. Many languages do not distinguish between adjectives and adverbs or adjectives and names etc, i.e. the Albanian language differs in terms of gender and plural adjectives, while English has not such a feature. Therefore formal distinctions between parts of speech should be done within the framework of a given language and should not be applied in other languages .In this study we have analyzed nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjective structures, the use of articles, pronouns etc. in Albanian and English. In the light of modern linguistics, comparative method plays an important role in the acquisition of languages comparing the first language with the target language. Comparative method is also considered as a key factor in the scientific research of modern linguistics, so it can be used successfully in teaching. Keywords; Albanian, English, differences, morphology, similarities, teaching. 28 European Scientific Journal Introduction In Albanian language, the comparative studies in linguistics are very rare. Considering the fact that language is closely related to culture, a linguistic comparative study is also a cultural comparison. Although all languages mainly play a similar role, there are similarities and differences between them. Knowing the differences between the two languages also helps in identifying students' linguistic errors in the process of teaching the grammar. -
Non-Standard English and Dialect Forms
Non-standard English and dialect forms Teaching notes These notes and answers support the student activities that follow on pp.5-7. Task one: Standard and non-standard sentences All the sentences are examples of non-standard English, and many feature regional dialect forms. Sentence Notes 1 We were stood at the Although this is primarily a regional dialect form common to bus stop for ages. northern England and the Midlands, it is becoming more frequent across the UK. At times this and its equivalent with the verb ‘sit’ e.g. ‘They are sat’ can be heard in places where Standard English might be expected (BBC News on TV/radio for example). A quick online search shows that many people are discussing it (even on Mumsnet), which suggests this is a dialect feature that is spreading. 2 I didn’t do nothing. An example of a double negative, a common feature of a range of regional dialects. 3 They got off of the This might be regarded as an example of language change train at the wrong rather than a distinctive regional dialect feature. Speakers station. seem to consider that the first ‘off’ is part of the verb phrase, and as a result an extra preposition is needed. 4 There are less Again, this is an example of language change in action – opportunities now for think of supermarket checkout signs for ‘10 items or less’. young people than in The distinction between countable and uncountable nouns the previous decade. appears to be changing, with the comparative ‘fewer’ (used for countable nouns) falling out of use. -
English Grammar for Bible Students
English Grammar For Bible Students “'Like young plants, young brains need watering and it is the duty of Grammar to undertake this.” By Benjamin J. Williams 0 This little set of notes on English grammar is Dedicated to my treasure above rubies, my wife, Charmion Selene Williams, Who crosses my i’s and dots my t’s. 1 Table of Contents Introduction I. Parts of Speech II. The Simple Sentence III. Nouns IV. Pronouns V. Adjectives VI. Verbs VII. Adverbs VIII. Prepositions IX. Gerunds X. Participles XI. Infinitives XII. Clauses, Compound & Complex XIII. Conjunctions & Logic XIV. Punctuation XV. Literal & Figurative Language XVI. Rules for Writing 2 INTRODUCTION Why Should the Bible Student Know English Grammar? The reasons for a study of this type are many, but three simple reasons will be given here. First, the Bible claims to be the inspired word of God (II Tim. 3:16). This expression means that the Scriptures claim to be “God breathed”, and the Bible often makes this claim for even the words of the text (II Sam. 23:2 “The Spirit of the L ORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.”). Inspired writers often use the grammar of the Scriptures to make doctrinal arguments. Our Lord appealed to the tense of a verb to prove the resurrection, pointing out that God says “I am” Abraham’s God as opposed to “I was” (Matt. 22:32). Paul makes a doctrinal point concerning the promise of the Messiah by pointing to the number of the noun “seed” as being singular and not plural (Gal. -
5 Verb Phrases
A study of the Structure of Telugu Phrases Verb Phrase 5 Verb Phrases The verb phrase in Telugu is a head-modifier phrase having a verb as its head, and adverbials and participles being the modifiers. Again, the head verb has its own internal structure having moods, aspects, persons, numbers and genders in a close-knit sequence. Therefore, Telugu verb phrase can be conveniently termed as a close-knit head modifier phrase. These verb phrases in Telugu fill predicate slots at clause level constructions. The Telugu verb phrase can be visualised in the following way: VERB PHRASE MODIFIER HEAD Mood Verbal Person Aspect Adverbials Participles Base Number Tense Gender From the above representation the following inferences can be drawn. 1. The verb phrase is either a head-modifier phrase (Type 1), or it consists of only a single word (zero modifier). 2. The head is a close-knit phrase consisting of three interrelated systems, namely, the verbal base system; the mood, aspect and tense system and the person, number and gender system manifesting tagmemes within it. 3. The modifier slot is filled by either adverbials or participles or both, which in turn may be either single units or phrases of head-modifier, coordinate and axis-relator types. 205 A study of the Structure of Telugu Phrases Verb Phrase Formula VP = + Mod: Adv./Part. + H: vb. Read, a verb phrase has an optional modifier slot filled by an adverbial or adverbial phrase, and/or a participle or a participle phrase; and an obligatory head slot filled by a transitive or intransitive verb alongwith the person-number-gender suffixes. -
Bennettgoodman2018.Pdf
Cognition 178 (2018) 147–161 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Cognition journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cognit Original Articles Extremely costly intensifiers are stronger than quite costly ones T ⁎ Erin D. Bennett , Noah D. Goodman Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 420, Stanford, CA 94305-2130, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: We show that the wide range in strengths of intensifying degree adverbs (e.g. very and extremely) can be partly Intensifiers explained by pragmatic inference based on differing cost, rather than differing semantics. The pragmatic theory Degree adverbs predicts a linear relationship between the meaning of intensifiers and their length and log-frequency. We first Scalar adjectives test this prediction in three studies, using two different dependent measures, finding that higher utterance cost Pragmatics (i.e. higher word length or surprisal) does predict stronger meanings. In two additional studies we confirm that M-implicature the relationship between length and meaning is present even for novel words. We discuss the implications for adverbial meaning and the more general question of how extensive non-arbitrary form-meaning association may be in language. 1. Introduction meaning: Many adjectives correspond to concrete numeric scales, and an intensifier’s strength can be measured as the numeric extent to which it How do different words get their meanings? For instance, why is an shifts the interpretation of such a scalar adjective. Intensifiers are of interest “extremely good paper” better than a “quite good paper”? The tradi- because theoretical considerations, which we lay out below, suggest a re- tional answer (De Saussure, 1916) is that different meanings have been lationship between intensifier meaning and their communicative cost (i.e.