Journal | Bhasha
Journal issue | 1 | 2 | 2022
Research Article | From Standard Marker to Adaptor: The Case of Vedic iva
From Standard Marker to Adaptor: The Case of Vedic iva
Abstract
In Early Vedic, the particle iva primarily functions as a standard marker of similative constructions; in Middle Vedic, iva retains its function of marking comparison of equality but also behaves as an adaptor, i.e. an approximation marker which flags the semantically loose use of a lexical expression. Informed by cross-linguistic evidence in the domain of approximation, this paper traces iva’s development from standard marker to adaptor within the oldest layer of Vedic literature, represented by the R̥gveda. The analysis is carried out from a grammaticalization perspective, detecting the different steps that led to the emergence of the new function.
Submitted: Sept. 13, 2022 | Accepted: Sept. 13, 2022 | Published Oct. 28, 2022 | Language: en
Keywords R̥gveda • Similative constructions • Vedic Sanskrit • Approximation • Grammaticalization
Copyright © 2022 Erica Biagetti. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/bhasha/2785-5953/2022/01/002
