Academic Paper |
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| Title: | On the History of 'downright' |
| Author: | Belén Méndez-Naya |
| Linguistic Field: | Historical Linguistics; Text/Corpus Linguistics |
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English
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| Abstract: | Using data retrieved from a variety of diachronic corpora and the OED quotation database, this diachronic study sheds light on the origin and development of the degree function of a low-frequency intensifier, English downright, both as an adverb (it's downright rude) and as a reinforcing adjective (downright nonsense). The history of downright illustrates the interplay between lexicalization and grammaticalization in the evolution of a single item and provides a good example of the crucial role of context and inferencing in semantic change, and of two different trajectories in the development of intensifiers (adjunct > degree modifier, and descriptive adjective > affective adjective > intensifier). |
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This article appears in English Language and Linguistics Vol. 12, Issue 2, which you can read on Cambridge's site or on LINGUIST . |
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