Zabójczo, That is Deadly. A Study of Semantic Change Toward Intensification and ‘Excess’ Hyperbole
The study analyses the current polysemy of the adverb zabójczo and the evolution of its original meaning ‘lethally.’ The semantic change ‘lethal → harmful → unbearable → impressive → extraordinary’ occurs due to the process of metaphorization and subjectivation. The concrete lexical meaning develop...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Firenze University Press
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Studi Slavistici |
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| Online Access: | https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/9030 |
| Summary: | The study analyses the current polysemy of the adverb zabójczo and the evolution of its original meaning ‘lethally.’ The semantic change ‘lethal → harmful → unbearable → impressive → extraordinary’ occurs due to the process of metaphorization and subjectivation. The concrete lexical meaning develops a secondary sense through metonymy, ‘extreme degree.’ The desemantized related expressions, i.e., the adjective zabójczy and the adverb zabójczo, take on the function of a hyperbolic intensifier. The amplifiers tend to be used in two diverse intensification patterns: the adjective as a maximizer, while the adjective as a booster.
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| ISSN: | 1824-761X 1824-7601 |