Reproachatives and imperatives

Bibliographic Data

ID3989123
AuthorsDaniel Van Olmen (0000-0001-9289-9196, Lancaster University, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume56
Issue1
Pages115-162
Publication date2018-01-26
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLinguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0024-3949 • E-ISSN: 1613-396X
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/ling-2017-0033
OpenAlexW2782805485
LanguageEN
Citations received47
References cited34

This paper studies constructions dedicated to the expression of an after the fact reprimand to a second person in the languages of Europe. Taking a usage-based perspective, it argues against earlier analyses of these reproachatives as imperatives, optatives or conditionals, which fail to capture their idiosyncrasies and overpredict both their cross-linguistic frequency and the grammaticality of types of imperative in a language. Based on a closer examination of Dutch, the paper assumes a middle position between the existing views in that it argues for an account of the Dutch reproachative as the hybrid outcome of the interaction of the aforementioned constructions and of processes such as analogy, conventionalization and insubordination. It explores to what extent such an analysis applies to the other European languages featuring a reproachative and what its implications are for our understanding of imperative semantics

Analogy · Expression (computer science) · Grammar · Grammaticality · Linguistics · Perspective (graphical) · Semantics (computer science) · Sociology · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Philosophy · Swearing, Euphemism, Multilingualism · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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