Keywords
- metonymy, metaphor, semantics, grammaticalization, yiddish
How to Cite
Biasca, D. H. (1995). Grammaticalization of aleyn in Yiddish. Colorado Research in Linguistics, 14. https://doi.org/10.25810/A2F6-WY92
Abstract
By drawing upon sentences elicited from native Yiddish speakers and excerpts from Yiddish texts, I examine functions performed by aleyn ('alone') and relate them to semantic properties of its pre-grammaticalized components, 'all' + 'one'. Relying upon the cognitive processes of metaphor and metonymy, in accordance with Hopper & Traugott 1993 and others I explain how aleyn has come to perform a contrastive function, in conjunction with Grice's (1975) quantity-based inference. Comparing the Yiddish facts to how such contrasts are drawn in Russian, Hebrew and German, I conclude that these languages did not contribute grammaticalization of aleyn in Yiddish.