[Lingtyp] Is the connection between simplicity and intensity universal

[Daniel Ross]

Another interesting adverb to consider that has developed in a similar way
is "literally", which is of course often rejected prescriptively as an
intensifier. But it seems to follow the same development as "really",
"truly", "very", etc., maybe with a touch of "simply" too!

On Fri, Jun 4, 2021 at 5:49 PM Mira Ariel <mariel at tauex.tau.ac.il> wrote:

> Hi,
>
>
>
> Yael Ziv, here cc'ed, wrote about Hebrew *pashut* 'simple/ly'. The paper
> is in Hebrew, but I'm sure you can ask her about it.
>
>
>
> I here attach a paper of mine (with Ruti Bardenstein), in press with *Studies
> in language*, about the evolution of intensifiers from truth markers, but
> we mention particularizers, which *simply* might be similar to. We talk
> about the "missing link" between truth and intensification, and you may
> well find that there's a missing link between 'simple/ly' and 'very'. For
> truth markers we argued that they originally serve to mark something as "a
> real category member of Y", and later on they more generally block a
> loosening (weakening) of the modified concept (Y). Only then do they evolve
> into intensifiers. I suspect the beginning of 'simply' > 'very' is some
> metalinguistic use of 'simply'. Maybe *simply* in *simply Y* first aims
> to preempt a potential reservation that 'Y' is too strong?
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Mira
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Lingtyp [mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org] *On
> Behalf Of *tangzhengda
> *Sent:* Friday, June 4, 2021 5:08 PM
> *To:* lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> *Subject:* [Lingtyp] Is the connection between simplicity and intensity
> universal
>
>
>
> Dear all,
>
>
>
> Words with the lexical meaning of 'with simplicity' are likely to
> grammaticalize into intensives, or 'intensifiers', e.g. English 'simply',
> Chinese *jianzhi *(简直，lit simple and straight), and may be Roman
> languages also.  It is thus interesting to have the potential to express 'In
> a plain, homely, or frugal manner', 'inadequately' and 'absolutely,
> extraordinarily' by the same word.
>
>
>
> I wonder if the connection, both synchronical and diachronical， between
> 'being simple' and 'being intense' somewhat universal？Are there more
> languages that coincidentally have such intensifier-used lexicons
> indicating 'simplicity'?
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot
>
>
>
> With best wishes
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jeremy
>
>
>
> Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
>
> No.5 Jianguomennei Dajie, Beijing, China; 100732
>
>
>
>
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