Day to day and night after night
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Lotte Sommerer
Abstract
This paper analyzes temporal symmetric NPN constructions in which both nouns are singular, identical, and conjoined by a preposition (e.g. day to day, hour upon hour, night after night). The constructions’ binominal structure, their idiomatic nature, their apparent frozenness, and their syntactic restrictions (e.g. determiners are not permitted) make them an interesting target for linguistic analysis. Although several researchers have analyzed these constructions in different frameworks (e.g. Travis 2001; Matsuyama 2004; Haïk 2009; Jackendoff 2008, 2013; Zwarts 2013; Kim & Sells 2015), there is no study which looks at these constructions quantitatively. Consequently, the paper analyzes data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English. The constructions’ frequency and productivity, as well as their syntactic function and extension potential is being investigated (e.g. day after day of suffering, hour by precious hour). Additionally, the constructions’ semantics and interesting clustering and multiplication patterns are discussed. In terms of theoretical modeling, the paper takes a Usage-based Cognitive Construction Grammar approach (Goldberg 2003, 2006, 2019; Tomasello 2003; Hilpert 2014; Diessel 2015, 2019; Ellis et al. 2016; Sommerer & Smirnova 2020) and sketches the constructional network of [CNsg,timei P CNsg,timei]Cx –constructions.
Abstract
This paper analyzes temporal symmetric NPN constructions in which both nouns are singular, identical, and conjoined by a preposition (e.g. day to day, hour upon hour, night after night). The constructions’ binominal structure, their idiomatic nature, their apparent frozenness, and their syntactic restrictions (e.g. determiners are not permitted) make them an interesting target for linguistic analysis. Although several researchers have analyzed these constructions in different frameworks (e.g. Travis 2001; Matsuyama 2004; Haïk 2009; Jackendoff 2008, 2013; Zwarts 2013; Kim & Sells 2015), there is no study which looks at these constructions quantitatively. Consequently, the paper analyzes data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English. The constructions’ frequency and productivity, as well as their syntactic function and extension potential is being investigated (e.g. day after day of suffering, hour by precious hour). Additionally, the constructions’ semantics and interesting clustering and multiplication patterns are discussed. In terms of theoretical modeling, the paper takes a Usage-based Cognitive Construction Grammar approach (Goldberg 2003, 2006, 2019; Tomasello 2003; Hilpert 2014; Diessel 2015, 2019; Ellis et al. 2016; Sommerer & Smirnova 2020) and sketches the constructional network of [CNsg,timei P CNsg,timei]Cx –constructions.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Major trends in research on the English NP 1
-
Determination, modification & complementation
- Refining and re-defining secondary determiners in relation to primary determiners 27
- The rivalry between definiteness and specificity 79
- Post-head compression in noun phrase referring expressions 107
- From noun to verb 135
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Shell nouns & the X-is construction
- Shell nouns as epistemic stance devices in English 171
- Constructional variation and change in N-is focaliser constructions 205
- Premodification in X-is constructions 235
-
Binominal constructions
- From an icy hell of a night to a hell of a fine story 279
- Time-measurement constructions in English 311
- Day to day and night after night 363
- Coordinated phrases as dvandvas 395
- Index 429
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Major trends in research on the English NP 1
-
Determination, modification & complementation
- Refining and re-defining secondary determiners in relation to primary determiners 27
- The rivalry between definiteness and specificity 79
- Post-head compression in noun phrase referring expressions 107
- From noun to verb 135
-
Shell nouns & the X-is construction
- Shell nouns as epistemic stance devices in English 171
- Constructional variation and change in N-is focaliser constructions 205
- Premodification in X-is constructions 235
-
Binominal constructions
- From an icy hell of a night to a hell of a fine story 279
- Time-measurement constructions in English 311
- Day to day and night after night 363
- Coordinated phrases as dvandvas 395
- Index 429
