| Abstract |
Depending on source domain, pattern of intensification and extent of grammaticalization, intensifiers may differ in a number of ways: degree (Paradis 2000, 2003) and degree and polarity sensitivity (Klein 1998); semantic prosody (Bublitz 1998); genre and register restrictions (Paradis 2000, 2003, Ito and Tagliamonte 2003), type and degree of expressivity, extent to which they can take part in reinforcing, aggravating or mitigating the underlying speech act, and, of course, collocational profile (Cacchiani 2005). It the light of this, it is the purpose of this paper to show how lexicographic data can provide evidence in favour of adopting a cognitive-linguistic perspective on the process of loosening and meaning recreation which characterizes the development of intensifiers from other categories. Specifically, using data from the Oxford English Dictionary, I shall investigate the nature and use of phonaestemic intensifiers (e.g. howlingly), within the framework of Ruiz de Mendoza.s (1998ff) Combined Input Hypothesis. As will be seen, this helps shed light on the pattern of intensification (Lorenz 2002, Cacchiani 2005) at play while acknowledging the role played by contextual and encyclopaedic knowledge. Using the Combined Input Hypothesis, therefore, offers considerable lexicological insights while providing reasonable motivations for the polysemous nature of phonaestemic intensifiers, and also accounting for discourse-pragmatic restrictions on their use. As such, it might integrate pragmatic, lexicographic and grammaticalization approaches to the study of intensifiers and, second, to the inclusion and representation of non-grammaticalized, peripheral intensifiers in advanced learner.s dictionaries and, most importantly, bilingual dictionaries, which do not always include entries and subentries for phonaestemic intensifiers. |
| BibTex |
@InProceedings{ELX08-163,
author = {Silvia Cacchiani},
title = {From Lexicographic Evidence to Lexicological Aspects: A Cognitive Linguistic Perspective on Phonaestemic Intensifiers},
pages = {1565-1573},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 13th EURALEX International Congress},
year = {2008},
month = {jul},
date = {15-19},
address = {Barcelona, Spain},
editor = {Elisenda Bernal, Janet DeCesaris},
publisher = {Institut Universitari de Linguistica Aplicada, Universitat Pompeu Fabra},
isbn = {978-84-96742-67-3},
} |
