A far from simple matter revisited
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Laurel J. Brinton
Abstract
In Present-day English far from belongs to a class of constructions (close to, near to, next to) which have undergone grammaticalization and/or constructionalization. The present corpus-based, diachronic study shows that the development of far from appears to be a clear case of grammaticalization, with quite significant changes in the Late Modern English period, including the extension of the downtoner to attributive contexts and the development of the emphasizer function. More importantly, the claim that “a well-known trajectory” (Méndez-Naya 2008a: 215) is from degree adjunct to degree modifier is not borne out in this case. What we see here is a change from degree modifier to degree adjunct, a change consistent with Athanasiadou’s (2007) argument for an increase in subjectivity from degree modifier to emphasizer.
Abstract
In Present-day English far from belongs to a class of constructions (close to, near to, next to) which have undergone grammaticalization and/or constructionalization. The present corpus-based, diachronic study shows that the development of far from appears to be a clear case of grammaticalization, with quite significant changes in the Late Modern English period, including the extension of the downtoner to attributive contexts and the development of the emphasizer function. More importantly, the claim that “a well-known trajectory” (Méndez-Naya 2008a: 215) is from degree adjunct to degree modifier is not borne out in this case. What we see here is a change from degree modifier to degree adjunct, a change consistent with Athanasiadou’s (2007) argument for an increase in subjectivity from degree modifier to emphasizer.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
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Part I. Phonology
- “A received pronunciation” 21
- The interplay of internal and external factors in varieties of English 43
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Part II. Morphosyntax
- The myth of American English gotten as a historical retention 67
- Changes affecting relative clauses in Late Modern English 91
- Diffusion of do 117
- A diachronic constructional analysis of locative alternation in English, with particular attention to load and spray 143
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Part III. Orthography, vocabulary and semantics
- In search of “the lexicographic stamp” 167
- “Divided by a common language”? 185
- Women writers in the 18th century 203
- Eighteenth-century French cuisine terms and their semantic integration in English 219
- Spelling normalisation of Late Modern English 243
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Part IV. Pragmatics and discourse
- A far from simple matter revisited 271
- What it means to describe speech 295
- Being Wilde 315
- “I am desired (…) to desire” 333
- Index 357
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Phonology
- “A received pronunciation” 21
- The interplay of internal and external factors in varieties of English 43
-
Part II. Morphosyntax
- The myth of American English gotten as a historical retention 67
- Changes affecting relative clauses in Late Modern English 91
- Diffusion of do 117
- A diachronic constructional analysis of locative alternation in English, with particular attention to load and spray 143
-
Part III. Orthography, vocabulary and semantics
- In search of “the lexicographic stamp” 167
- “Divided by a common language”? 185
- Women writers in the 18th century 203
- Eighteenth-century French cuisine terms and their semantic integration in English 219
- Spelling normalisation of Late Modern English 243
-
Part IV. Pragmatics and discourse
- A far from simple matter revisited 271
- What it means to describe speech 295
- Being Wilde 315
- “I am desired (…) to desire” 333
- Index 357
