Two dimensions of language intensity in evaluative discourse: Contextuality and semantic richness
Liebrecht,C. Hustinx,Lettica van Mulken,Margot Schellens,Peter Jan
Liebrecht,C.
Hustinx,Lettica
van Mulken,Margot
Schellens,Peter Jan
Abstract
Language intensity has been investigated within several disciplines, such as linguistics, stylistics and social psychology, and from several approaches. As a result, a wide range of intensifying elements and effects have been identified. In this chapter, we demonstrate on the basis of a qualitative corpus-analytical study that two dimensions play a decisive role in the discrimination of intensified language: contextuality and semantic richness. Contextuality reflects the degree to which the intensifying meaning of an element depends on its context. Semantic richness describes the amount of meaningful information that an intensifying element contains on top of its intensification function. This chapter is a starting point for further research concerning the characteristics of language intensity. Our insights contribute to established approaches in corpus-analytical and stylistic research.
Description
Date
2018
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John Benjamins Publishing Company
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Keywords
language intensity, evaluative discourse, qualitative analysis, corpus study, stylistics, taal, linguistiek, tekst
Citation
Liebrecht, C, Hustinx, L, van Mulken, M & Schellens, P J 2018, Two dimensions of language intensity in evaluative discourse : Contextuality and semantic richness. in M de los Ángeles Gómez González & L Mackenzie (eds), The Construction of Discourse as Verbal Interaction. John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 274-297. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.296.11lie