A new metalinguistic degree morpheme

Abstract

<p><span>In this paper, we discuss and analyze </span><em>...ish/-ish </em><span>in three of its uses: as a modifier of gradable adjectives; as a clause-final particle that hedges on a speaker’s degree of commitment to a proposition; and as a general precision-regulator. In each case, </span><em>-ish/. . . ish </em><span>makes reference to a degree that is slightly less than the standard for the constituent it applies to. We propose that proposition-modifying </span><em>. . . ish </em><span>belongs to the class of metalinguistic degree morphology alongside metalinguistic comparisons, which have received recent attention in the literature (e.g., </span><span>Giannakidou &amp; Yoon 2011; Morzycki 2011). </span><span>We argue for a unified analysis of ...</span><em>ish/-ish </em><span>as a degree modifier, where the relevant degree variable can be provided lexically, or through a type-shifting operation that makes available a degree of precision in the sense of </span><span>Morzycki </span><span>(2011). This study has implications for research on the semantics of metalinguistic degree morphology, imprecision, speaker-oriented phenomena, and the role of subjectification in semantic change. </span></p>