A cognitive approach to English adverbs (original) (raw)
Related papers
Linguistik online, 2018
This paper will address the predicative nature of manner adverb(ial)s and of three types of sentence adverbs (subject-oriented, modal, and evaluative) in Italian. Predication often becomes overt by means of morphological correlates. Is it possible to find any such evidence with invariable adverbs? To unveil their predicative nature, a procedure will be suggested in which two sentences, one with a "-mente" adverb, the other with its cognate adjective (a) share the content morphemes (identity of the signifiant) and (b) entail each other (identity of the signifié as regards semantic roles). A number of such pairs will be discussed, examples of which include: Intelligentemente, Leo intervenne 'Cleverly, Leo intervened' and Leo fu intelligente a intervenire 'Leo was clever to intervene'. We aim to ascertain if the argument structure of the adjective and the semantic role(s) which it assigns can shed light on the very same properties of the cognate adverb.
On the syntactic status of sentential adverbs and modal particles (2010)
This paper sets out a number of reasons for establishing a distinction between sentential (modal) adverbs and modal particles. Adverbs and particles are generally difficult to define as two distinct and independent word classes in terms of unitary criteria and distinctive properties. The traditional role of an adverb is that of modifying a verb or a verb phrase. In reality, adverbs also modify adjectives, sentences, and other adverbs. Particles also serve a sort of 'modification' function. Modal particles, for example, take the whole sentence as their object and fit its content to the context of speech. This 'vague' similarity, though, should not be interpreted as a motivation for assimilating the two categories, especially when other syntactic properties, such as the sentential position, the distribution, and the sensitivity to sentence types, together with their correlated semantic interpretations, are taken into consideration.
Intensifying adverbs in the English language by Evgeniya V. Zhiber and Larisa V. Korotina
Training Language and Culture, 2019
The article provides an analysis of various aspects of intensification in the English language (colloquial and newspaper), intensifying adverbs in particular. The processes of grammaticalisation and delexicalisation observed in the evolution of intensifying adverbs are described. The author also looks into the renewal and boundedness of intensifying adverbs, provides an overview of modern classifications of intensifying adverbs, and offers statistics on the frequency of occurrence of intensifying adverbs to illustrate their usage in spoken discourse and newspaper language. The findings assume that less intensification is used in written discourse whereas more intensification is employed in spoken discourse, which suggests that the decline in intensification is higher as the formality of the register increases, and vice versa.
Lexicogrammatical features of adverbs in advanced learner English
ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2015
This paper explores the use of -ly adverbs by Norwegian advanced learners of English compared to that of native speakers. The investigation is based on two corpora of novice academic English: VESPA and BAWE. It considers features of lexis (frequencies, style, meanings, collocational patterns) as well as of syntax, i.e. whether the adverbs function as adjuncts, disjuncts, conjuncts or modifiers in adjective or adverb phrases. The learners make few clear mistakes with adverbs, but there are important frequency differences between the corpora concerning lexical choice and semantic and syntactic functions. Learners overuse adverbs with modal meaning but underuse phrase-modifying adverbs. Most adjunct types are also underused. At several points, the native speakers prove to have a greater lexical repertoire.
Adjectives and adverbs: Syntax, semantics, and discourse
2008
Reviewed by REGINE ECKARDT, University of Göttingen This volume consists of an introduction by the editors and eleven articles, each of which addresses some intriguing puzzle about the syntax, semantics, or pragmatics of adjectives and adverbs. The collection as a whole deepens the reader's understanding of why adjectives and adverbs pose a special challenge to linguistic analysis. Typically, adverbs and adjectives occur in sentences as nonarguments. They appear to be less syntactically restricted than other parts of the clause (at least in languages like English). For instance, they can occur in various positions in sentences. Yet, if several adjectives/adverbs occur together in a sentence, their relative order to one another is usually restricted. This can be captured in different ways: a syntax-based analysis will assume a comparatively rigid syntactic structure within the adjectival/adverbial parts of the sentence, whereas a semantics-based approach will attempt to derive facts about word order from the ontological nature of modified arguments (Cinque 1999 and Ernst 2002 represent these two opposing camps). Semantics-based approaches lead to a deeper problem at the syntax-semantics interface. The way that adjectives and adverbs are interpreted can differ, and sometimes differs dramatically, depending on their position. Differences may have to do with the lexical content (e.g. careful(ly) as a manner vs. an evaluation by the speaker), the arguments of the predicate (e.g. resultative vs. manner readings of elegantly), restrictive vs. nonrestrictive modification by adjectives, commentary vs. at-issue interpretations, to name a few. Such facts can be relegated to syntax ('brute homonymy' approach), to semantics, or to pragmatics, but any analysis will have to address questions that do not normally arise in the linguistic description of core sentence structure. Finally, the content that adverbs and adjectives contribute to the overall message of the sentence can range at any level between truth-conditional 450 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 86, NUMBER 2 (2010)