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In:Theory and Practice in Functional-Cognitive Space
Edited by María de los Ángeles Gómez González, Francisco José Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez and Francisco Gonzálvez-García
[Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics 68] 2014
► pp. 33–52

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Giving it my best shot

Towards a coherent functional analysis of metaphorically-derived processes with particular attention to the ‘light verb’ expressions

Published online: 22 July 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sfsl.68.02tuc
In this article I explore the extent to which the analysis of metaphoricallyderivedexpressions, such as “give someone a hug”, differs from that assigned tothe prototypical sense associated with the main verb in question. Taking expressionsinvolving the verb “give”, I consider a range of semantic departures fromprototypical “give”, in respect of the process type (material, mental, relationalprocess etc.) and the participant roles present. Using a Systemic FunctionalGrammar framework, I analyse candidate expressions according to their lexicogrammaticalpotential (e.g. associated syntactic alternation potential) and aset of tests to establish the participant roles present. The results of the analysisindicate a cline of differing degrees of lexicogrammatical departure from theprototype, reflecting their respective semantic departure.
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Suñer, Ferran & Jörg Roche
2021. Embodiment in concept-based L2 grammar teaching: The case of German light verb constructions. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 59:3 ► pp. 421 ff. DOI logo

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