Reproachatives and imperatives

Van Olmen, Daniel (2018) Reproachatives and imperatives. Linguistics, 56 (1). pp. 115-162. ISSN 0024-3949

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Abstract

This paper studies constructions dedicated to the expression of an after the fact reprimand to a second person in the languages of Europe. Taking a usage-based perspective, it argues against earlier analyses of these reproachatives as imperatives, optatives or conditionals, which fail to capture their idiosyncrasies and overpredict both their cross-linguistic frequency and the grammaticality of types of imperative in a language. Based on a closer examination of Dutch, the paper assumes a middle position between the existing views in that it argues for an account of the Dutch reproachative as the hybrid outcome of the interaction of the aforementioned constructions and of processes such as analogy, conventionalization and insubordination. It explores to what extent such an analysis applies to the other European languages featuring a reproachative and what its implications are for our understanding of imperative semantics.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Linguistics
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3310
Subjects:
?? linguistics and languagelanguage and linguistics ??
ID Code:
89734
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
16 Jan 2018 16:22
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
26 Nov 2023 00:20