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Chapter 12. Intensifying structures of adjectives across German and Italian

  • Patrizio Malloggi
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Exploring Intensification
This chapter is in the book Exploring Intensification

Abstract

Grading and intensifying are primary cognitive operations that have an important expressive function. This paper analyses examples of composition, prefix‑ and suffix-derivation as adjective formation methods that intensify the meaning of adjectives in the German (e.g. eiskalt, blitzschnell, steinreich, erzfrech, urgesund, superelegant etc.) and Italian (e.g. ricco sfondato, stanco morto; strafelice, straricco etc.) language. Both languages have wide range of possibilities for intensifying the meaning of adjectives: In the German language, research literature (Fleischer & Barz 1995; Eichinger 2000; Kirschbaum 2002) states that composition and prefix-derivation are the most used methods of adjective intensification. Italian, like other Romance languages, intensifies adjectives through the absolute superlative with the Latin-derived suffix ‑issimo or with some intensifying prefixes derived from Greek, Latin or English (iperattivo, ultranazionale, supergentile etc.) (Rainer 1983; Costa 1997; Serianni 2006). This paper focuses on the argument that even if German and Italian are two languages belonging to a different language family, they share some means to express intensity in adjectives. The data used for this analysis will be mainly extracted from the most relevant monolingual encyclopaedic dictionaries as comparative databases.

Abstract

Grading and intensifying are primary cognitive operations that have an important expressive function. This paper analyses examples of composition, prefix‑ and suffix-derivation as adjective formation methods that intensify the meaning of adjectives in the German (e.g. eiskalt, blitzschnell, steinreich, erzfrech, urgesund, superelegant etc.) and Italian (e.g. ricco sfondato, stanco morto; strafelice, straricco etc.) language. Both languages have wide range of possibilities for intensifying the meaning of adjectives: In the German language, research literature (Fleischer & Barz 1995; Eichinger 2000; Kirschbaum 2002) states that composition and prefix-derivation are the most used methods of adjective intensification. Italian, like other Romance languages, intensifies adjectives through the absolute superlative with the Latin-derived suffix ‑issimo or with some intensifying prefixes derived from Greek, Latin or English (iperattivo, ultranazionale, supergentile etc.) (Rainer 1983; Costa 1997; Serianni 2006). This paper focuses on the argument that even if German and Italian are two languages belonging to a different language family, they share some means to express intensity in adjectives. The data used for this analysis will be mainly extracted from the most relevant monolingual encyclopaedic dictionaries as comparative databases.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. New insights on intensification and intensifiers 1
  4. Part I. The category of intensification
  5. Chapter 1. The comparative basis of intensification 15
  6. Chapter 2. Intensification and focusing 33
  7. Chapter 3. Intensification processes in Italian 55
  8. Chapter 4. Noun classification in Kiswahili 79
  9. Part II. Strategies of intensification in ancient languages: Hittite, Greek and Latin
  10. Chapter 5. Intensification and intensifying modification in Hittite 101
  11. Chapter 6. Diminutives in Ancient Greek 127
  12. Chapter 7. Nulla sum, nulla sum: Tota, tota occidi 147
  13. Part III. Strategies of intensification in modern languages: Italian, German, English
  14. Chapter 8. Intensifiers between grammar and pragmatics 173
  15. Chapter 9. Stress and tones as intensifying operators in German 193
  16. Chapter 10. English exclamative clauses and interrogative degree modification 207
  17. Part IV. Contrastive analysis of intensification in Italian and German
  18. Chapter 11. A pragmatic view on intensification 231
  19. Chapter 12. Intensifying structures of adjectives across German and Italian 251
  20. Chapter 13. The coordination of identical conjuncts as a means of strengthening expressions in German and Italian 265
  21. Chapter 14. What does reduplication intensify? 289
  22. Chapter 15. Intensification strategies in German and Italian written language 305
  23. Chapter 16. Ways to intensify 327
  24. Chapter 17. Augmentatives in Italian and German 353
  25. Chapter 18. Intentional vagueness 371
  26. Index 391
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.189.13mal

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. New insights on intensification and intensifiers 1
  4. Part I. The category of intensification
  5. Chapter 1. The comparative basis of intensification 15
  6. Chapter 2. Intensification and focusing 33
  7. Chapter 3. Intensification processes in Italian 55
  8. Chapter 4. Noun classification in Kiswahili 79
  9. Part II. Strategies of intensification in ancient languages: Hittite, Greek and Latin
  10. Chapter 5. Intensification and intensifying modification in Hittite 101
  11. Chapter 6. Diminutives in Ancient Greek 127
  12. Chapter 7. Nulla sum, nulla sum: Tota, tota occidi 147
  13. Part III. Strategies of intensification in modern languages: Italian, German, English
  14. Chapter 8. Intensifiers between grammar and pragmatics 173
  15. Chapter 9. Stress and tones as intensifying operators in German 193
  16. Chapter 10. English exclamative clauses and interrogative degree modification 207
  17. Part IV. Contrastive analysis of intensification in Italian and German
  18. Chapter 11. A pragmatic view on intensification 231
  19. Chapter 12. Intensifying structures of adjectives across German and Italian 251
  20. Chapter 13. The coordination of identical conjuncts as a means of strengthening expressions in German and Italian 265
  21. Chapter 14. What does reduplication intensify? 289
  22. Chapter 15. Intensification strategies in German and Italian written language 305
  23. Chapter 16. Ways to intensify 327
  24. Chapter 17. Augmentatives in Italian and German 353
  25. Chapter 18. Intentional vagueness 371
  26. Index 391
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