Diachrony of Stative Dimensional Verbs in French
Brigitte Schwarze, Hans Geisler · 2021
In the present paper we will trace the evolution of French verbs like peser 'weigh' and coûter 'cost' which encode a dimensionweight and price, respectivelyand allow for the external specification of a value of this dimension as in peser 2 kilos 'weigh 2 kilos' and coûter 5 euros 'cost 5 euros.' We call these verbs stative dimensional verbs (SDVs).Our main focus will be on SDVs which evolve from verbs encoding sensorimotor concepts such as main body postures (e. g., standing) or elementary hand actions (e. g., grasping).We will try to delineate the semantic changes they undergo in the course of their development.Special attention will be paid to the correlation between source concepts and the emergence of specific dimensional readings.