The conceptual space of phasal polarity. An exploration

• Applicant: Dr. Bastian Persohn
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 453412235

Grammatical expressions are often polyfunctional. Researching the systematic relationships between the various functions enables conclusions to be drawn about regularities and universals in the structuring of linguistic meaning (e.g. Evans 2012). One functional category characterized by far-reaching is that of phasal polarity (short: PhP). Amongst other things, this category includes the concepts of STILL and ALREADY. These concepts signal positive polarity and contrast a situation with a subsequent/preceding negative alternative one (van Baar 1997). In addition to the defined functions, STILL and ALREADY expressions have a number of recurring functional extensions in the world’s languages. During the first phase oft the project, these functional extensions have been examined primarily for STILL expressions. The second phase will be dedicated to a similarly high-resolution examination on the basis of a diversified sample of 40–50 languages.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants