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Article published In: Similatives: Semantic sources, pathways, and types of usage
Edited by Anna Kisiel, Hélène Vassiliadou, Valentina Benigni, Beatrice Bernasconi, Lieselotte Brems and Dejan Stosic
[Lingvisticæ Investigationes 48:2] 2025
► pp. 221–249

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‘Wellness’ equatives and their extensions in English as well as in Dutch and German

 | Lancaster University
 | University of Antwerp
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with Lancaster University.

Published online: 19 February 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/li.00129.olm
Abstract
This is a study of English (just) as well (as) and as good (as) constructions and their counterparts in Dutch and German. These constructions can express an equative meaning, which is the oldest meaning, as well as ‘extended’ meanings, like coordination, with as well as functioning like the coordinator and, or approximation, with as good as. The study is based on the Sketchengine TenTen corpora for each of the three languages. The findings are evaluated relative to the influential ‘Germanic Sandwich’ hypothesis that Dutch is intermediate between English and German. It is argued that, in most respects, Dutch and German pattern alike, and that, from a diachronic perspective, each language has shown innovation.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 1.Similative and equative constructions, polyfunctionality, and three West-Germanic languages
  • 2.As well as
    • 2.1English as well as vs. Dutch zowel als and German sowohl als auch
    • 2.2Dutch zowel als vs. German sowohl als
    • 2.3A conclusion
  • 3.As good as
  • 4.Just as well¸ net zo goed/even goed and genau/eben so gut
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
  • Corpora
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Corpora
Dutch Web 2020 (nlTenTen20): [URL], Accessed January-June 2025.
English Web 2021 (enTenTen21): [URL], Accessed January-June 2025.
German Web 2020 (deTenTen20): [URL], Accessed January-June 2025.
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