Chapter 7
The emergence of a new adverbial downtoner
Constructional change and constructionalization of Dutch [ver van X] and [verre van X] ‘far from X’
The English expression far from, denoting spatial or metaphorical distance, has developed into an adverbial downtoner (De Smet, 2012). In this corpus-based study, our first purpose is to analyze to which degree the Dutch counterparts of the English [far from X] construction, that is [ver van X] and [verre van X], have also developed into downtoners. We show that synchronically ver van mostly has a spatial or metaphorical meaning, while verre van is generally used as an adverbial downtoner. As a second objective, we explore the diachronic pathways taken by both constructions and argue that the category change undergone by [verre van X] is part of a true constructionalization process, while [ver van X] has been affected by minor constructional changes only.
Article outline
-
1.Introduction
- 2.Downtoners
- 3.[ver van X] and [verre van X] in present-day Dutch
- 3.1Method
- 3.2Semantics
- 3.3Complementation patterns
- 4.Diachronic developments
- 4.1Method
- 4.2[ver van X]
- 4.2.1Semantic changes
- 4.2.2Changes in the complementation types
- 4.3[verre van X]
- 4.3.1Semantic changes
- 4.3.2Changes in the complementation types
- 4.4Comparison [ver van X] and [verre van X]
- 5.Category change, constructional change and constructionalization
- 6.Conclusions
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
References
-
Online sources
References
Aarts, B.
(
2007)
Syntactic gradience: The nature of grammatical indeterminacy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E.
(
1999)
Longman grammar of spoken and written English. Edinburgh/Harlow/Essex: Pearson Education.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bergs, A., & Diewald, G.
(
2008)
Introduction: Constructions and language change. In
A. Bergs, &
G. Diewald (Eds.),
Constructions and language change (pp. 1–21). Berlin/New York: De Gruyter Mouton.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Claridge, C., & Kytö, M.
(
2014)
‘I know you are a bit of a dandy’: Exploring a degree modifier. In
M. Hundt (Ed.),
Late Modern English syntax (pp. 239–268). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
De Smet, H.
(
2012)
The course of actualization.
Language, 88(3), 601–633.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
De Smet, H., & Fischer, O.
(
2017)
Analogy in language change: Supporting constructions. In
M. Hundt,
S. E. Pfenninger, &
S. Mollin (Eds.),
The changing English language: Psycholinguistic perspectives (pp. 240–268). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Haeseryn, W., Romijn, K., Geerts, G., de Rooij, J., & van den Toorn, M. C.
(
19972).
Algemene Nederlandse Spraakkunst (Vol. 2). Groningen/Deurne: Martinus Nijhoff uitgevers/ Wolters Plantyn.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Heine, B., Claudi, U., & Hünnemeyer, F.
(
1991)
Grammaticalization: A conceptual framework. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Himmelmann, N.
(
2004)
Lexicalization and grammaticization: Opposite or orthogonal? In
W. Wisang,
N. Himmelmann, &
B. Wiemer (Eds.),
What makes grammaticalization? A look from its fringes and its components (pp. 21–42). Berlin/New York: De Gruyter Mouton.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Horst van der, J. M.
(
2008)
Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse syntaxis (Vol. 2). Leuven: Leuven University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Nevalainen, T., & Rissanen, M.
(
2002)
‘Fairly pretty or pretty fair?’: On the development and grammaticalization of English downtoners.
Language sciences, 24(3–4), 359–380.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Norde, M.
(
2014)
On parents and peers in constructional networks. Paper presented at
Cogling-6
. University of Ghent, 11–12 December 2014.
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartik, J.
(
1997)
A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Schäfer, R., & Bildhauer, F.
(
2012)
Building large corpora from the web using a new efficient tool chain. In
N. Calzolari et al. (Eds.),
Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC 2010) (pp. 486–493). Valletta: European language resources distribution agency.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Schäfer, R.
(
2015)
Processing and querying large web corpora with the COW14 architecture. In
P. Bański,
H. Biber,
E. Breiteneder,
M. Kupietz,
H. Lüngen, &
A. Witt (Eds.),
Proceedings of challenges in the management of large corpora (CMLC-3) (pp. 28–34). Lancaster: Lancaster University.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Traugott, E. C.
(
1988)
Pragmatic strengthening and grammaticalization. In
S. Axmaker, &
H. Singmaster (Eds.),
Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (pp. 406–416). Berkeley: Berkeley Linguistics Society.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Traugott, E. C.
(
2008)
The grammaticalization of NP of NP patterns. In
A. Bergs, &
G. Diewald (Eds.),
Constructions and language change (pp. 23–45). Berlin/New York: De Gruyter Mouton.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Traugott, E. C., & Trousdale, G.
(
2013)
Constructionalization and constructional changes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Van Goethem, K.
(
2015)
‘Cette mesure est-elle vraiment clé?’ A constructional approach to categorial gradience.
Journal of French Language Studies, 25(1), 115–142.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Online sources
COW (Corpora from the Web)
Available online at:
[URL]
CGN (Corpus Gesproken Nederlands)
Available online at:
[URL]
CHK (Corpus Historische Kranten)
Available online at:
[URL]
TwNC (Twente News Corpus)
Available online at:
[URL]
WNT (Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal)
Available online at:
[URL]
Cited by
Cited by 2 other publications
Brinton, Laurel J. & Tohru Inoue
Koutsoukos, Nikos, Kristel Van Goethem & Hendrik De Smet
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 26 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.