Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness
This paper investigates the approximative nature of -ish, which takes its origin in de-adjectival adjectives in Middle English and from there spreads to -ish-derivatives from a wide array of bases, in terms of both categoriality and complexity. Drawing on data from the TV corpus, the paper charts th...
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Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Zeitschrift für Wortbildung |
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| author | Matthias Eitelmann Dagmar Haumann |
| author_facet | Matthias Eitelmann Dagmar Haumann |
| author_sort | Matthias Eitelmann |
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| description | This paper investigates the approximative nature of -ish, which takes its origin in de-adjectival adjectives in Middle English and from there spreads to -ish-derivatives from a wide array of bases, in terms of both categoriality and complexity. Drawing on data from the TV corpus, the paper charts the inventory of ‑ish-derivatives expressing approximative senses and zooms in on de-adjectival derivatives (largish, small-er-ish), de-numeral derivatives (fourth-ish, 2.8-ish), as well as on non-category changing -ish-formations (a few weeks-ish, nothingish). Building on both the diachronic trajectory of approximative ‑ish as of Middle English and the inventory of -ish-formations in the TV corpus, the paper proposes an approximation cline ranging from the earliest relational/associative senses of the suffix via similitudinal and genuinely approximative senses to incipient privative senses, (almost) all of which are attested in the data investigated. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffe0215f174f4352bf0f9ac6c278f2df |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2367-3877 |
| language | deu |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zeitschrift für Wortbildung |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffe0215f174f4352bf0f9ac6c278f2df2025-08-20T03:45:28ZdeuUniversitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am MainZeitschrift für Wortbildung2367-38772023-04-017176100https://doi.org/10.21248/zwjw.2023.1.91Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vaguenessMatthias Eitelmann0Dagmar Haumann1University of MainzUniversity of BergenThis paper investigates the approximative nature of -ish, which takes its origin in de-adjectival adjectives in Middle English and from there spreads to -ish-derivatives from a wide array of bases, in terms of both categoriality and complexity. Drawing on data from the TV corpus, the paper charts the inventory of ‑ish-derivatives expressing approximative senses and zooms in on de-adjectival derivatives (largish, small-er-ish), de-numeral derivatives (fourth-ish, 2.8-ish), as well as on non-category changing -ish-formations (a few weeks-ish, nothingish). Building on both the diachronic trajectory of approximative ‑ish as of Middle English and the inventory of -ish-formations in the TV corpus, the paper proposes an approximation cline ranging from the earliest relational/associative senses of the suffix via similitudinal and genuinely approximative senses to incipient privative senses, (almost) all of which are attested in the data investigated.approximation clinecorpus-based analysisderivationfrequency-ish suffixproductivitytv data |
| spellingShingle | Matthias Eitelmann Dagmar Haumann Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness Zeitschrift für Wortbildung approximation cline corpus-based analysis derivation frequency -ish suffix productivity tv data |
| title | Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness |
| title_full | Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness |
| title_fullStr | Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness |
| title_short | Getting close-ish: A corpus based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness |
| title_sort | getting close ish a corpus based exploration of ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness |
| topic | approximation cline corpus-based analysis derivation frequency -ish suffix productivity tv data |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthiaseitelmann gettingcloseishacorpusbasedexplorationofishasamarkerofapproximationandvagueness AT dagmarhaumann gettingcloseishacorpusbasedexplorationofishasamarkerofapproximationandvagueness |