Grammaticalising constructions: to death as a peripheral degree modifier

Abstract

The degree modifier to death is generally left out of the paradigm of English intensifiers. The article analyses this modifier within the framework of grammaticalisation and subjectification. This corpus-driven study suggests an unusual grammaticalisation path. In contrast to numerous intensifiers grammaticalising from adverbs, to death developed its booster function (i.e. high degree) from various constructions np 1 verb np 2 to death / np be adjective to death , often occurring in bridging contexts. The multiplicity of source constructions is what makes this case study of special interest. It is also shown that the semantic change from a ( potential or actual ) result sense to a high degree meaning results from the interplay of metaphor, hyperbole and metonymic inferencing.

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