Exploring Intensification: Synchronic, diachronic and cross-linguistic perspectives

✍ Scribed by Maria Napoli; Miriam Ravetto

• Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 404
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book is the first collective volume specifically devoted to the multifaceted phenomenon of intensification, which has been traditionally regarded as related to the expression of degree, scaling a quality downwards or upwards. In spite of the large amount of studies on intensifiers, there is still a need for the characterization of intensification as a distinct functional category in the domain of modification. The eighteen papers of the volume contribute to this aim with a new approach (mainly corpus-based). They focus on intensification from different perspectives (both synchronic and diachronic) and theoretical frameworks, concern ancient languages (Hittite, Greek, Latin) and modern languages (mainly Italian, German, English, Kiswahili), and involve different levels of analysis. They also identify and examine different types of intensifiers, applied to different forms and structures, such as adverbs, adjectives, evaluative affixes, discourse markers, reduplication, exclamative clauses, coordination, prosodic elements, and shed light on issues which have not been extensively studied so far.

✦ Table of Contents

Exploring Intensification
Editorial page
Title page
LCC data
Table of contents
New insights on intensification and intensifiers
References
Part I. The category of intensification
Chapter 1. The comparative basis of intensification
1. Introduction
2. Demonstratives and (interrogative) exclamatives as exophoric expressions of comparison
3. Comparison and comparatives: Standard not given in external situation
Parameter D: Number of dimensions: (n ≤ 1)
4. Comparison as basis for intensification and intensifiers
5. Subjectivity
6. Measurement as comparison
7. Summary and conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Author queries
Chapter 2. Intensification and focusing: The case of pure(ly) and mere(ly)
1. Introduction
2. Intensification and focusing: A preliminary demarcation
3. Pure(ly) and mere(ly): A case study of intensification and focusing
3.1 Descriptive modification
3.2 Intensification
3.3 Focusing
4. Intensification vs. focusing
4.1 Scalarity
4.2 Subjectivity and intersubjectivity
4.3 Diachrony of intensification and focusing
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Corpora
Appendix
Author queries
Chapter 3. Intensification processes in Italian: A survey
1. Intensification as evaluative morphology
2. The data
2.1 A short state of the art
2.2 Italian intensive constructions
3. An intensification cline?
3.1 Multiple intensification
3.2 Synonymous intensifiers
4. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Appendix
Author queries
Chapter 4. Noun classification in Kiswahili: Linguistic strategies to intensify or to reduce
1. Introduction
2. Noun class system in Kiswahili
3. Noun classes in Kiswahili: Are they semantic or arbitrary?
3.1 The point of view of the scholars
3.2 The weight of diachrony
4. Evaluation from inflection towards derivation
4.1 Inflection or derivation?
5. The morpheme (-)ji- from class prefix to evaluation marker
5.1 ji- as cl. 5 prefix
5.2 ji- as evaluation affix
6. Diminutives
6.1 ki-ji-
7. Conclusions
References
Author queries
Part II. Strategies of intensification in ancient languages: Hittite, Greek and Latin
Chapter 5. Intensification and intensifying modification in Hittite
1. Introduction
2. The Hittite language
3. Morphological strategies of intensification
3.1 Reduplication
3.2 Deverbative suffixes
3.3 The element hanti-
4. Lexical strategies of intensification
4.1 Degree of adjectives
4.2 The particle ‑pat
4.3 Repetition and other phenomena of intensification
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Chapter 6. Diminutives in Ancient Greek: Intensification and subjectivity
1. Introduction
2. Diminutives, intensification, and subjectivity
3. The data: Aristophanes and the “female” comedies
4. Analysis: Diminutives in Ancient Greek comedy
4.1 Taboo words
4.2 Forms of address
4.3 Kinship terms
4.4 Objects
5. Discussion and conclusion
References
Appendix
Author queries
Chapter 7. Nulla sum, nulla sum: Tota, tota occidi: Repetition as a (rare) strategy of intensification in Latin
1. Introduction
2. Forms and functions of repetition in Latin
3. A case study: Repetition as intensifying strategy in Plautus
3.1 Repetition of verbs
3.2 Nouns
3.3 Repetition of adverbs
3.4 Pragmatic markers
4. Concluding remarks
Acknowledgements
References
Author queries
Part III. Strategies of intensification in modern languages: Italian, German, English
Chapter 8. Intensifiers between grammar and pragmatics: A lesson from a language contact situation
1. Introduction: Intensifiers between grammar and pragmatics
2. Intensifiers in language contact situations
3. Methodology and data
4. Intensifiers in spoken Ladin
4.1 Fassa valley
4.2 Badia and Gardena valleys
5. Contrasting levels
6. Discussion and final remarks
Acknowledgements
References
Author queries
Chapter 9. Stress and tones as intensifying operators in German
1. Introduction
2. Intensifying from the prosodic point of view
3. Accents and information structure
3.1 Pitch movements and informativity
4. Accents, tones and conversation structure
4.1 Downstep
4.2 Tonal prefixation
4.3 Final boundary tones
5. Contour choice and speakers’ attitudes
5.1 Late peaks
5.2 Early peaks
5.3 0%-plateau contours
6. Concluding remarks
References
Chapter 10. English exclamative clauses and interrogative degree modification
1. Introduction
2. Adjectival degree modification
3. Degree modification with interrogative words
4. Exclamative clauses in English
4.1 Clause types and illocutionary force
4.2 The syntax and semantics of exclamations
5. The usage of English exclamative clauses
5.1 What-exclamatives
5.2 How-exclamatives
5.3 Exclamatives in ICE-GB
6. Summary and conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Author queries
Part IV. Contrastive analysis of intensification in Italian and German
Chapter 11. A pragmatic view on intensification: Expansions in German and Italian
1. Introduction
2. Expansions
3. Intensification: An overview
3.1 Defining intensification
3.2 Intensification between semantics and pragmatics
3.3 Résumé
4. Expansions with an intensifying function
4.1 Adjectives with an intensifying semantics
4.2 Adverbs of validity
4.3 Coordinating structures
4.4 Dialogue particles
5. Conclusions
References
Author queries
Transcription conventions
Chapter 12. Intensifying structures of adjectives across German and Italian
1. Introduction
2. Data extraction and methodology
3. Intensifying devices in language
4. Adjective intensification by means of word formation in German and Italian
4.1 Intensifying adjectives through composition
4.2 Intensifying adjectives through prefixation
5. Aspects of intensification by means of word formation in adjectives: Their pragmatics in German and Italian
6. Conclusion
References
Internet sources
Appendix
Author queries
Chapter 13. The coordination of identical conjuncts as a means of strengthening expressions in German and Italian
1. Introduction
2. Some examples
3. x ˄ x-expressions: Forms and functions
4. x ˄ x-units as a means of intensification
4.1 Intensification through reduplication
4.2 The role of the conjunction in intensification
4.3 Free groups or idioms?
5. Contrastive observations
5.1 Type of conjunct
5.2 Types of intensification relations
6. Conclusions and perspectives
References
Author queries
Chapter 14. What does reduplication intensify?: The semantics and pragmatics of reduplicated forms in Italian and their equivalents in German
1. Introduction
2. The semantics and pragmatics of reduplicative forms in Italian and their equivalents in German
3. Qualitative intensification (of adjectives and adverbs)
4. Duration and gradation
5. Appeal to the hearer (conative function)
6. Accreditation of the speaker, disambiguation and contrastive focus
7. Reduplication as mechanism of embodied communication: Gestuality and suprasegmentality
8. Final remarks
References
Author queries
Chapter 15. Intensification strategies in German and Italian written language: The case of prefissi intensivi or Fremdpräfixe. A corpus-based study
1. Introduction
2. Intensification: General remarks
2.1 Prefixation in Italian
2.2 Prefixation in German
3. The perception of foreign prefixes by Italian and German speakers: A survey
4. The use of foreign prefixes in written language: A corpus-based analysis
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Author queries
Chapter 16. Ways to intensify: Types of intensified meanings in Italian and German
1. Introduction
2. Gradability and intensification
3. The intensifying function of Italian evaluative prefixes
3.1 Intensification of adjectives
3.2 Intensification of nouns
3.3 Intensification of verbs
4. The intensifying function of German evaluative prefixes
4.1 Intensification of adjectives
4.2 Intensification of nouns
4.3 Intensification of verbs
5. Analysis of the data and conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Author queries
Chapter 17. Augmentatives in Italian and German: From contrastive analysis to translation
1. Introduction
2. Augmentation – A contrastive perspective
3. Methods and data
4. Contrastive linguistic approach
4.1 Augmentation in Italian
4.2 Augmentation in German
4.3 Résumé
5. Potential translations and current equivalents
5.1 Potential translations in bilingual lexicography
5.2 Current equivalents Italian-German
6. Concluding remarks
References
Author queries
Chapter 18. Intentional vagueness: A corpus-based analysis of Italian and German
1. Systemic vagueness and speaker’s vagueness
2. Speaker’s vagueness and linguistic choices in Italian and German
3. Data analysis
4. Conclusions
References
Author queries
Index