Taboo intensifiers as polarity items: evidence from Estonian

Abstract

Abstract This paper discusses the development of expressions such as “who/God knows wh” into negative degree adverbs in Estonian. The study provides an answer to the question of how certain negative polarity items emerge in a language. This question is rarely answered in the literature focused on polarity; hence, the case-study at hand is an attempt to contribute to the general understanding of the grammaticalization/lexicalization of polarity items. Two issues are studied in detail: first, the pragmatic prerequisites, and second, the structural idiosyncrasies triggering the lexicalization of these types of expressions into NPIs. The insights obtained allow challenging the view (see VON BERGEN & VON BERGEN 1993: 130) according to which the historical change in the meaning of the linguistic elements is not relevant for the synchronic description of polarity items.