Articles

Grammatikalisaasje fan bysinnen fan graadoantsjuttend gefolch

Authors

  • F. van der Kuip

Abstract

Grammaticalization of intensifying result clauses in Frisian shows form reduction in several ways. Such result clauses are preceded in the main clause by a preliminary adverb sa or the pronouns sa’n or sok(ke).

Section 2 describes the deletion of these preliminary words in the main clause when the result clause undergoes semantic bleeching and retains primarily a grammatical function, i.e. if it indicates a high degree. The drop­ping of these words could be explained with the concept of gramma­ticalization, since grammaticalization often goes with reduction of form and/or sound. However, in section 3 I argue that here reduction is caused rather by stress clash.

     To one specific type of result clause, namely dat it is Adj/Adv, a grammaticalization analysis can be applied. Section 4 shows that this type of clause is subject to form reduction in two ways. First, the result clause may lose its subject plus verbal part of the predicate or even the whole predicate. Only the conjunction dat remains, and then functions as a pure intensifyer. To my knowledge this reduction is unique for Frisian. Second, the result clause can lose the conjunction dat and then turn into an exclamative phrase or even a single exclamative word. Both also function as pure intensifyers.

Published

2012-12-01

Issue

Section

Articles