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Verbs of Position Change in Space as Intensifiers

Summary/Abstract: The topic of this paper are verbs in the Serbian language that primarily denote а change of position in space (on a vertical axis). These verbs, in periphrastic predicates, change their meaning into the meaning of intensity, and they become intensifiers of nouns that function as semantic centres of these phrases. These verbs can be found in five structural models: NNom+V, V+NАkuz, V+у+NAkuz, V+од+NGen, V+у+NLok. In these structures, nouns appear in different syntactic positions (subject, object, adverbial) and can be classified in different semantic groups. Cognitive mechanisms which allow the change of meaning of verbs were also examined. It has been concluded that the concept of intensity is related to concepts of quantity and depth, and that the change of position oriented upwards correlates with high intensity, while the change oriented downwards correlates with low intensity, mainly through the conceptual metaphor MORE IS UP, LESS IS DOWN. In some cases, however, meanings can change in the opposite direction, because a downward orientation can also be related to intensive negative states. In some of the examples, the conceptual metonymy EFFECT FOR CAUSE has a crucial role in the transformation of verb meaning.

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