Morphologization of the degree adverb HEN

Abstract

This study investigated morphologization of the degree adverb hen ‘very’, a process of semantic change to develop a bound constituent from a free independent word by way of cliticization and compounding. In the first stage of development, hen is a degree adverb; its gradable extent is higher than average. In the second stage it loses morphosyntactic autonomy and develops into a clitic, being bound to the adjacent scalar predicate. Finally, hen becomes a compound constituent, as a result of amalgamating the clitic form and its adjacent verb. The significance of the semantic and morphosyntactic change of hen lies in fulfilling communicative needs. First, the semantic generalization of hen suggests that the speaker’s attitude toward the gradable extent of the predicate is neutral at the moment of speaking. Second, developing new compounds from old constructions is motivated by the necessity of new independent concepts for communication.