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    Emphatic inflection and semantic distinction
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    Emphatic inflection of adjectives which by default are not inflected takes the form of the suffix –e. Examples for the adjectives lui lazy, and lank long are given below:

    1
    'n lui kind
    a lazy child
    2
    'n lang afstand
    a long distance

    BUT, to add emphasis:

    3
    Julle luie lummels!
    you lazy·ATTR oafs
    You lazy oafs!
    4
    'n lange relaas
    a long·ATTR narrative
    a very long narrative

    Note that lang, as an exception, phonologically, is in fact the attributive form of lank long, but receives the additional emphatic suffix in the example above.

    Some adjectives which do not inflect by default, are distinguished semantically by means of the suffix -e in fixed expressions in which they represent a different (but mostly related) denotation. The differences are evident from the example of a well-known idiom below:

    5
    Stille waters, diepe grond – onder draai die duiwel rond. (<stil·e)
    still·ATTR waters, deep·ATTR soil – below turns the devil around
    Still waters run deep.

    The uninflected counterparts of the two adjectives above are to be interpreted quite literally, as below:

    6
    'n stil area
    a quiet area
    7
    swem na die diep kant
    swim to the deep end
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    Attributive inflection of adjectives occurs by default in the environments as indicated previously in Attribution. However, in cases where (a) special emphasis is expressed, or (b) differentiation of meaning is intended, for instance figurative as against literal meaning, attributive adjectives may by marked by the schwa suffix. Emphatic inflection in Afrikaans is mostly limited to adjectives which are not normally inflected.

    Emphatic inflection

    In the case of evaluative adjectives, emphasis is subjectively added, as in these examples of the adjectives lomp clumsy, groot large and stout naughty, where the unmarked form is contrasted with the emphasised form:

    8
    die lomp klein seekoeitjies
    the clumsy little hippopotamus·DIM.PL
    the clumsy little hippopotamuses
    but for emphasis
    9
    lompe hantering van betogings
    clumsy·ATTR handling of demonstrations
    clumsy handling of demonstrations
    and
    10
    die groot rooi appel in my hand
    the large red apple in my hand
    but for emphasis
    11
    'n massiewe grote boks (<massief·e)
    a massive·ATTR large·ATTR box
    a massively large box
    and
    12
    hy is 'n stout kind
    he be.PRS a naughty child
    He is a naughty child.
    but for emphasis
    13
    Jou stoute kind!
    you naughty·ATTR child
    You naughty child!

    It is noteworthy that evaluative descriptions marked by inflection often form part of a distinctive appellation, such as die grote God the great God, in die grote New York in the gigantic New York.

    Semantic distinction

    Differentiation of meaning often correlates with the presence or absence of the inflecting suffix added to a normally non-inflecting adjective stem, as is evident from examples above. In many cases, the inflected pendant forms part of a fixed expression, and often expresses a figurative denotation, in contrast to the literal denotation expressed by the uninflected counterpart. Some examples of this contrast follow below (Ponelis 1979:143):

    14
    Hy het 'n bont katoenhemp aan.
    he has a multicoloured cotton.shirt on
    He is wearing a colourful cotton shirt.
    15
    die bonte verskeidenheid karakters
    the motley·ATTR variety characters
    the motley variety of characters
    16
    die byt van 'n dol dier
    the bite of a rabid animal
    17
    'n dolle gejaag na wind (<dol·e)
    a crazy·ATTR chase after wind
    a rat race in pursuit of nothing
    18
    'n vry en regverdige verkiesing
    a free and fair·ATTR election
    free and fair elections
    19
    Gee jou verbeelding vrye teuels.
    give your imagination free·ATTR reins
    Give free play to your imagination.

    In certain cases, the difference in meaning may be quite substantial, and not merely a contrast between literal and figurative denotations, as in this example:

    20
    'n teer sakie
    a tender matter·DIM
    a delicate matter
    21
    tere liefde (<teer·e)
    tender·ATTR love
    tender love
    References
    • Ponelis, F.A1979Afrikaanse sintaksis.Van Schaik
    About this article
    Author(s): Ernst Kotzé, Adri Breed
    Category: Afrikaans Syntax
    Keywords: emphatic inflectionsemantic distinctionfixed expression
    Version: 1.0, May 2020
    Version history:
    version editor(s) date remarks
    1.0 Ernst Kotzé, Adri Breed May 2020
    This is a beta version.
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