English self-forms and related words from other Germanic languages
(e.g. Dutch zelf, Swedish sjalv, etc.) are used in two different
functions: as 'intensifiers' (e.g. The president himself made the
decision) and as markers of reflexivity (John criticized himself).
On the basis of a comparative syntactic and semantic analysis, this
book addresses the question of why two such apparently different
functions can be expressed by the same word. This question is
answered by showing that both intensifying and reflexive self-forms
can be analysed as expressing the concept of 'identity'. In the
first part of The Grammar of Identity, the most central facts
concerning the distribution of intensifiers in Germanic languages
are surveyed and a detailed syntactic and semantic analysis is
provided. It is shown that all instances of intensifiers can be
analysed as expressions of an identity function. The second part of
the book offers an analysis of reflexive self-forms which is based
on recent theories of reflexivity, modifying these in some
important respects. In particular, the distribution of reflexive
self-forms is explained with reference to semantic properties of
the sentential environment. In this way, it can be shown that
reflexive self-forms - like intensifiers - can be analysed as
expressions of an identity function. In addition to providing a
thorough comparative description of the hitherto poorly described
area of intensifiers in Germanic languages, this book offers an
answer to a long standing question in descriptive and theoretical
linguistics, namely why self-forms are used in two apparently
different functions. By combining analytical methods from syntax,
lexical semantics and sentence semantics the study moreover
contributes to an understanding of the interaction between
structure, meaning and context in a central area of lexico-grammar.
General
| Imprint: |
Routledge
|
| Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
| Series: |
Routledge Studies in Germanic Linguistics |
| Release date: |
July 2006 |
| First published: |
September 2006 |
| Authors: |
Volker Gast
|
| Dimensions: |
234 x 156 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Hardcover
|
| Pages: |
258 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-415-39411-6 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Language & Literature >
Language & linguistics >
General
|
| LSN: |
0-415-39411-2 |
| Barcode: |
9780415394116 |
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