In:Cyclical Change Continued
Edited by Elly van Gelderen
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 227] 2016
► pp. 319–350
Modality and gradation
Comparing the sequel of developments in ‘rather’ and ‘eher’
Published online: 9 March 2016
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.227.11ger
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.227.11ger
This paper focuses on some effects and possible causes in the concatenation of two micro-developments undergone by words like rather. While the first one maps its semantics from an original temporal-based comparison to modal meanings, the second takes it from modal ordering to the modification of gradable predicates. A comparison is drawn with the parallel sequel of developments observed in the case of German eher (‘sooner, rather’) especially with respect to the apparently distinct flavors of modal ordering available in the two items.
Cited by (5)
Cited by five other publications
Marion, Jesse, Lobke Ghesquière & Gudrun Vanderbauwhede
Gergel, Remus, Ingo Reich & Augustin Speyer
2022. Particles. In Particles in German, English and Beyond [Studies in Language Companion Series, 224], ► pp. 1 ff.
Beck, Sigrid
Mosegaard Hansen, Maj-Britt
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