That’s absolutely fine
-
Karin Aijmer
Abstract
This chapter investigates the meanings and functions of the intensifier absolutely, both synchronically and diachronically. The research questions are asked against the background of absolutely becoming more frequent over a short period of time as shown by a comparison of the BNC1994 and the BNC2014. The results show that the developments undergone by absolutely can be described as a trajectory from degree modifier to emphasizer and to discourse marker, as absolutely increases in subjectivity. The description of the semantic and pragmatic developments also requires a sociolinguistic analysis of factors such as age and gender. The analysis shows that young speakers use it less often than older speakers and that it was first used by male speakers and only later by females.
Abstract
This chapter investigates the meanings and functions of the intensifier absolutely, both synchronically and diachronically. The research questions are asked against the background of absolutely becoming more frequent over a short period of time as shown by a comparison of the BNC1994 and the BNC2014. The results show that the developments undergone by absolutely can be described as a trajectory from degree modifier to emphasizer and to discourse marker, as absolutely increases in subjectivity. The description of the semantic and pragmatic developments also requires a sociolinguistic analysis of factors such as age and gender. The analysis shows that young speakers use it less often than older speakers and that it was first used by male speakers and only later by females.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction ix
-
Part I. Changing society
- The great temptation 3
- Changes in society and language 29
- Finding evidence for a changing society 57
- Semantic neology 79
- From burden to threat 113
-
Part II. Changing language
- That’s absolutely fine 143
- Two sides of the same coin? 169
- So-called - ingly adverbs in Late Middle and Early Modern English 199
- Analyzing change in the American English amplifier system in the fiction genre 223
- The development and pragmatic function of a non-inference marker 251
- Changes in transitivity and reflexive uses of sit ( me / myself down ) in Early and Late Modern English 277
- Index 303
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction ix
-
Part I. Changing society
- The great temptation 3
- Changes in society and language 29
- Finding evidence for a changing society 57
- Semantic neology 79
- From burden to threat 113
-
Part II. Changing language
- That’s absolutely fine 143
- Two sides of the same coin? 169
- So-called - ingly adverbs in Late Middle and Early Modern English 199
- Analyzing change in the American English amplifier system in the fiction genre 223
- The development and pragmatic function of a non-inference marker 251
- Changes in transitivity and reflexive uses of sit ( me / myself down ) in Early and Late Modern English 277
- Index 303
