Particles at the semantics/pragmatics interface : : synchronic and diachronic issues : a study with special reference to the French phasal adverbs / / Maj-Britt Mosegaard Hansen.

• Superior document: Current research in the semantics/pragmatics interface ; v. 19
• Author: Mosegaard Hansen, Maj-Britt.
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Current research in the semantics/pragmatics interface ; v. 19.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (261 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; 1: Introduction /; 2: Particles At The Lexical-Semantics/Pragmatics Interface: A Conceptual Framework /; 3: A Framework For Describing The Diachronic Evolution Of Phasal Adverbs /; 4: General Properties Of Phasal An Verbs Across Languages /; 5: Data And Methodology /; 6: Content-Level Uses Of The French Phasal An Verbs /; 7: Context-Level Uses Of The French Phasal Adverbs /; 8: Conclusion /; References /; Index /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 1281099988; 9786611099985; 0080556817
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Maj-Britt Mosegaard Hansen.

The central aim of this study is to elucidate the nature of the semantics / pragmatics distinction in both synchrony and diachrony. The author proposes a definition of semantics and pragmatics that is orthogonal to the question of truth-conditionality, and discusses the status of various types of meaning with respect to this definition. A corollary aim of the study is to propose an account of how and why erstwhile pragmatically-determined elements of meaning may, in the course of time, become semanticized. The nature, paths, and mechanisms of diachronic sense changes of the relevant type, as well as the motivations for them, are discussed in some detail. The author combines insights from different sources, prominently frame-based semantics, historical pragmatics, and Peircean semiotics, to arrive at a model of linguistic meaning that is both synchronically and diachronically dynamic, hence capable of integrating structure and usage. As a case study, the synchronic uses and diachronic evolution of the exceptionally polyfunctional French phasal adverbs deja ('already'), encore ('still/yet'), toujours ('still'), and enfin ('finally') are analyzed in some detail, with particular attention being paid to the semantic vs pragmatic nature of the various uses of these items. The book will be of interest to lexical semanticists, pragmaticians, historical linguists, functional/cognitive linguists, discourse analysts, and semioticians.