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Beeldskemas van tydsduur: die polisemiese aard van terwyl, onderwylen wyl
Abstract
Hierdie artikel toon aan hoe die polisemiese aard van ‘n groep onderskikkers, nl. terwyl, onderwyl en wyl, in terme van drie onderliggende beeldskemas verklaar kan word en hoe betekenis uitbreidings in die vorm van betekenis kettings voorgestel kan word. Die ondersoek is in ooreenstemming met die aannames van die kognitiewe grammatika op gebruiksdata gebaseer. In die mees basiese betekenis druk die bysin wat deur terwyl ingelei word, die agtergrondom-standighede uit waarbinne ‘n voorgrondgebeurtenis plaasvind. Dit word verteenwoordig deurskema 1: ‘n gebeurtenis binne ‘n ander gebeurtenis. Wanneer die voorgrondgebeurtenis net solank duur soos die agtergrondgebeurtenis, kan skema 2 geabstraheer word: parallelle gebeurtenisse. Behalwe vir gelyke tydsduur, kom teenstelling en toegewing ook as meer abstrakte betekenisse in hierdie skema voor. Uit gevalle waar groepe in numeriese terme vergelyk word, word skema 3 geabstraheer: deel-geheel. By verdere betekenisuitbreidings gaan die geheelbeeld verlore en word ‘n los reeks gegewens weergegee. Onderwyl en wyl kan as gedeeltelike sinonieme van terwyl beskou word. Hulle gebruik is meerbeperk en hulle vertoon nie die mate van grammatikalisering wat vir terwyl waargeneem is nie.
Abstract: This article shows how the polysemic nature af a group of subordinating conjunctions in Afrikaans, ‘terwyl', ‘onderwyl'and ‘wyl' (meaning nuances of ‘while'and ‘whilst') can be explained in terms of three underlying image schemas. The expansion of their meaning is depicted through chains of meaning. In accordance with the basic tenets of cognitive linguistics a usage-based approach is followed. In the most basic meaning the subordinate clause introduced by ‘terwyl' describes the background against which a foreground event takes place. This representation is shown in schema 1. The foreground event occurs within the time span of a background event. In schema 2 we depict simultaneous foreground and background events. In addition to events with equal time span, this schema also depicts contradiction and concession in the more abstract sense. In cases wheregroups are compared in numerical terms schema 3 can be used to express ‘part-of-whole'. Further augmentation of meaning causes loss of cohesion and a discontinuous series of events is listed. ‘Onderwyl' and ‘wyl'can be seen as partial synonyms of ‘terwyl'. Their use is less frequent andless grammaticalisation was observed than in the case of ‘terwyl'.
Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(1): 57–73
Abstract: This article shows how the polysemic nature af a group of subordinating conjunctions in Afrikaans, ‘terwyl', ‘onderwyl'and ‘wyl' (meaning nuances of ‘while'and ‘whilst') can be explained in terms of three underlying image schemas. The expansion of their meaning is depicted through chains of meaning. In accordance with the basic tenets of cognitive linguistics a usage-based approach is followed. In the most basic meaning the subordinate clause introduced by ‘terwyl' describes the background against which a foreground event takes place. This representation is shown in schema 1. The foreground event occurs within the time span of a background event. In schema 2 we depict simultaneous foreground and background events. In addition to events with equal time span, this schema also depicts contradiction and concession in the more abstract sense. In cases wheregroups are compared in numerical terms schema 3 can be used to express ‘part-of-whole'. Further augmentation of meaning causes loss of cohesion and a discontinuous series of events is listed. ‘Onderwyl' and ‘wyl'can be seen as partial synonyms of ‘terwyl'. Their use is less frequent andless grammaticalisation was observed than in the case of ‘terwyl'.
Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(1): 57–73
