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Part of
Exploring Intensification: Synchronic, diachronic and cross-linguistic perspectives
Edited by Maria Napoli and Miriam Ravetto
[Studies in Language Companion Series 189] 2017
► pp. 231–250

Chapter 11
A pragmatic view on intensification

Expansions in German and Italian

| Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici (Roma)

The aim of this paper is to show that Expansionen (‘expansions’), a category belonging to the grammar of spoken German, in addition to other functions described in previous studies (Salzmann 2017), can serve as intensifiers both in German and Italian. For this purpose, I will first define the concept of expansion and afterwards establish a definition of intensification that can be applied to the analysis of expansions. Intensification is considered as a phenomenon with both semantic and pragmatic aspects, which can be analysed at all levels of the speech act (locution, illocution and perlocution). The central part of this article is dedicated to the interpretation of various examples from a bilingual corpus of academic talks held at conferences.

Keywords: expansions, intensification, illocutionary force modification, semantic upgrading, pragmatic upgrading
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Expansions
  • 3.Intensification: An overview
    • 3.1Defining intensification
    • 3.2Intensification between semantics and pragmatics
    • 3.3Résumé
  • 4.Expansions with an intensifying function
    • 4.1Adjectives with an intensifying semantics
    • 4.2Adverbs of validity
    • 4.3Coordinating structures
    • 4.4Dialogue particles
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 30 September 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.189.12sal
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