16.268, Qs: Data on lexical items similar to Hebrew 'bixlal'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-16-268. Thu Jan 27 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.268, Qs: Data on lexical items similar to Hebrew 'bixlal'

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1)
Date: 24-Jan-2005
From: Hagit Migron < msaustin at mscc.huji.ac.il >
Subject: Data on lexical items similar to Hebrew 'bixlal' 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 12:21:50
From: Hagit Migron < msaustin at mscc.huji.ac.il >
Subject: Data on lexical items similar to Hebrew 'bixlal' 
 

Dear linguists,

I am currently studying a lexical item in spoken Modern Hebrew - the 
adverb 'bixlal' which has several uses appearing in environments of 
different polarity. I am looking for lexical items in other languages which 
display two or more of the same uses. The examples below illustrate the 
various meanings of 'bixlal':

A) In negative sentences, 'bixlal' often means 'at all':
1. hu lo medaber ita bixlal 
 'He is not speaking to her at all' 

B) In positive sentences, it can mean 'in general' or 'totally/utterly':
2. dani mityaxes yafe el axoto. hu bixlal baxur nexmad
'Danny treats his sister well. He is a nice boy in general'

C) 'Bixlal' can also be similar in meaning to the expression 'even', as 
exemplified in 3B. (This use normally occurs in various downward entailing 
environments)
3. Speaker A: dani asuy lehibaxer leyoshev rosh hamoadon       
             'Danny may be elected chairman of the club'
    Speaker B: aval hu bixlal lo xaver bamoadon / 
             hu bixlal xaver bamoadon?
             'But he is not even a member of the club' / 
             'is he even a member of the club?'

D) In questions, 'bixlal' can be similar to English 'anyway':
4. ma ata ose po bixlal? - 'What are you doing here, anyway?'

E) Lastly, 'bixlal' can convey contradiction, similarly to English 'actually':
5. hi lo gara becorfat. hi bixlal angliya.
'She doesn't live in France. She is actually English.'

I know that the following languages have lexical items which display at least 
some of these uses:

1) German - the particle 'überhaupt'
(discussed in Koenig, E. (1985). 'Polysemie, Polaritätskontexte und 
Überhaupt'. In: Weydt, H. (ed.), Partikeln und Interaktion. Tübingen: 
Niemeyer.) 
2) Yiddish - uberhoypt
3) Dutch - uberhaupt
4) Finnish -ylipäänsä
5) Some Irish and Scottish dialects of English  apparently use the 
expression 'at all' not only in negative sentences, but also in positive 
sentences, where it means 'totally'.

I would be grateful if native or fluent speakers of these languages/dialects 
could send me information and data on the uses of these lexical items. 
I would also be grateful for information on additional lexical items, in any 
language, which display two or more of the uses exemplified above, and for 
references to any literature on such lexical items.

A summary will be posted it I receive sufficient responses.

Please send responses directly to: msaustin at mscc.huji.ac.il. 

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Subject Language(s): Hebrew (HBR)





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