From absolute intensifier to discursive signal: the case of absolutely and its equivalents in Russian
Abstract
From maximizer to discourse marker: the status of assolutamente in Italian and its functional equivalents in Russian In this paper a usage-based approach is adopted as the basis for a qualitative study of non-standard uses of the adverb assolutamente, which is widely employed in spoken discourse and CMC in Italian. The study shows how this expression has expanded its pragmatic and procedural functions to act as an (inter)subjective discourse marker and an interactional device to manage conversational turns.
In the second part of the study a contrastive approach is adopted in order to identify functional equivalents of the Italian adverb in Russian texts. This approach provides a useful heuristic to highlight the cross-linguistic interplay of apparently independent semantic-cognitive processes, such as intensification, focalization and evaluation.