It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective
The conjunction like meaning ‘as if’ is usually considered to derive from the preposition. There exists, however, a striking parallel between the impersonal post-copula use of the conjunction (e.g. It’s likeAS IF he didn’t see it) and the extraposed construction of the now extinct adjective like mea...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/4096 |
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| _version_ | 1849326569614475264 |
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| author | Mathilde Pinson |
| author_facet | Mathilde Pinson |
| author_sort | Mathilde Pinson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The conjunction like meaning ‘as if’ is usually considered to derive from the preposition. There exists, however, a striking parallel between the impersonal post-copula use of the conjunction (e.g. It’s likeAS IF he didn’t see it) and the extraposed construction of the now extinct adjective like meaning ‘likely’ with a covert complementizer (e.g. It’s likeADJ ø he didn’t see it). This paper therefore aims at sustaining the hypothesis of the adjectival origin of likeAS IF with the help of the Corpus of Historical American English. By documenting the geographic, semantic and syntactic expansion of likeAS IF, this study suggests that the disappearance of the attributive use of the adjective for reasons of isomorphism triggered the constructionalization of the two remaining adjectival constructions. The constructionalization of likeAS IF can be formalized as follows: [it copula Adj [ø + Clause]] ↔ [probability] > [it copula [Comp + Clause]] ↔ [comparison]. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8286e6fb7cb543afa25c6833a33dce52 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1951-6215 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology |
| spelling | doaj-art-8286e6fb7cb543afa25c6833a33dce522025-08-20T03:48:07ZengUniversité Jean Moulin - Lyon 3Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology1951-62152020-06-011510.4000/lexis.4096It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjectiveMathilde PinsonThe conjunction like meaning ‘as if’ is usually considered to derive from the preposition. There exists, however, a striking parallel between the impersonal post-copula use of the conjunction (e.g. It’s likeAS IF he didn’t see it) and the extraposed construction of the now extinct adjective like meaning ‘likely’ with a covert complementizer (e.g. It’s likeADJ ø he didn’t see it). This paper therefore aims at sustaining the hypothesis of the adjectival origin of likeAS IF with the help of the Corpus of Historical American English. By documenting the geographic, semantic and syntactic expansion of likeAS IF, this study suggests that the disappearance of the attributive use of the adjective for reasons of isomorphism triggered the constructionalization of the two remaining adjectival constructions. The constructionalization of likeAS IF can be formalized as follows: [it copula Adj [ø + Clause]] ↔ [probability] > [it copula [Comp + Clause]] ↔ [comparison].https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/4096adjectiveconstructionalizationcomplementizer likeepistemicgrammaticalizationimpersonal construction |
| spellingShingle | Mathilde Pinson It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology adjective constructionalization complementizer like epistemic grammaticalization impersonal construction |
| title | It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective |
| title_full | It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective |
| title_fullStr | It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective |
| title_full_unstemmed | It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective |
| title_short | It looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective |
| title_sort | it looks like this complementizer used to be an adjective |
| topic | adjective constructionalization complementizer like epistemic grammaticalization impersonal construction |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/4096 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mathildepinson itlookslikethiscomplementizerusedtobeanadjective |