Emergence of a new adverbial downtoner: constructional change and constructionalization of Dutch [ver van X] and [verre van X] ‘far from X’
(2018) Category change from a constructional perspective — ISBN: [9789027200419], 179-205, published
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- Abstract
- The English expression far from, denoting spatial or metaphorical distance, has developed into an adverbial downtoner (De Smet, 2012). In this corpus-based study, our first purpose is to analyze to which degree the Dutch counterparts of the English [far from X] construction, that is [ver van X] and [verre van X] have also developed into downtoners. We show that synchronically ver van mostly has a spatial or metaphorical meaning, while verre van is generally used as an adverbial downtoner. As a second objective, we explore the diachronic pathways taken by both constructions and argue that the category change undergone by [verre van X] is part of a true constructionalization process, while [ver van X] has been affected by minor constructional changes only.
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Citations
Van Goethem, K., Vanderbauwhede, G., & De Smet, H. (2018). Emergence of a new adverbial downtoner: constructional change and constructionalization of Dutch [ver van X] and [verre van X] ‘far from X’. In Van Goethem, Kristel; Norde, Muriel; Coussé, Evie; Vanderbauwhede, Gudrun (ed.), Category change from a constructional perspective (pp. 179-205). John Benjamins. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/229693