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In:Similative and Equative Constructions: A cross-linguistic perspective
Edited by Yvonne Treis and Martine Vanhove
[Typological Studies in Language 117] 2017
► pp. 143–164

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Chapter 5
The deictic identification of similarity

Published online: 31 May 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.117.06kon
Abstract
Starting out from the observation that comparisons and assessments of similarity and difference are fundamental cognitive processes and play an important role in a variety of human activities, this article shows that the most basic verbal means for the expression of similarity are demonstratives of manner, quality and degree (French ainsi, tel, tellement). It is shown that the gestural (exophoric) use of such demonstratives provides the source of a wide variety of constructions in a wide variety of languages, so that these demonstratives are instantiations of a semantic category of “similatives” par excellence. Building on earlier work by the same author, the article analyses and describes the wide-spread processes of grammaticalisation leading from exophorically used demonstratives to various types of anaphors, to quotatives, conjunctional adverbs, comparative constructions and to affirmative or approximative particles. The illustrations provided for these pervasive changes are mainly taken from European languages, but occasionally also enriched by exemplification from languages outside of Europe.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Similarity in cognition and language structure
  • 2.Demonstratives: General framework of analysis
  • 3.Demonstratives of similarity: Manner, quality, degree
    • (i)Distinctions in the ontological dimension
    • (ii)Distinctions in the deictic domain
    • (iii)Simple vs. complex demonstratives
  • 4.Meaning, semantic change and the grammaticalisation of similative and equative constructions
    • 4.1The exophoric use: Loss and renewal
    • 4.2From exophoric to anaphoric uses
    • 4.3From anaphora to clausal connectives
    • 4.4From anaphoric/cataphoric to comparative
    • 4.5From cataphoric to quotative
    • 4.6The recognitional and the approximative uses
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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