“He loved his father but next to adored his mother”
Nigh ( ly ), Near , and Next ( To ) as Downtoners
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21416956 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laurel J Brinton (0000-0001-9319-7786, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 39-60 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of English Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0075-4242 • E-ISSN: 1552-5457 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0075424220979126 |
| OpenAlex | W3118459256 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 24 |
In Present-Day English, nearly functions as an approximator downtoner meaning ‘almost, all but, virtually,’ as do earlier variants based on the same root— nigh, nighly, near, next ( to)—though more rarely and in more restricted contexts. Nigh functions as an approximator downtoner in Old and Middle English. When near displaces nigh, nigh is retained as a downtoner with lexical adjectives expressing negative semantic prosody. Near is used as a downtoner in later Middle and Early Modern English. However, degree adjunct uses are not well attested, thus pointing to incomplete grammaticalization. During the eighteenth century, the new -ly form ( nearly) takes over the innovative downtoner function and the old form ( near) is retained in the original locative sense, with some remnant downtoner uses. Next ( to) grammaticalizes as a downtoner, but proceeds only to the degree modifier stage and involves a high degree of idiomaticization, thus suggesting incipient grammaticalization. As spatial adverbs, nigh/ near/ next ( to)/ nearly represent one of the well-known sources for the grammaticalization of degree adverbs. However, these forms seem to follow a pathway where the degree modifier use (adjective/participle modifier) precedes the degree adjunct use (verb modifier), contrary to the reverse pathway postulated for other degree adverbs
Adjective · Adverbial · Degree (music) · Grammaticalization · Linguistics · Locative case · Meaning (existential) · Middle English · Noun · Participle · Physics · Prosody · Verb · History · Lexicography and Language Studies · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
A Comprehensive grammar of the English language
A Middle English Syntax. Part I, Parts of Speech
Intersubjectivity and the diachronic development of counterfactual almost
Adverb form in Middle English
On Intensifiers and Grammaticalization
On the subjectivity of intensifiers
Fairly pretty or pretty fair? On the development and grammaticalization of English downtoners
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |