The usage of intensifiers in Sri Lankan English. A corpus-based study

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 13, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, language: English, abstract: Intensifiers - very small words, but with a very strong impact on language use. In fact, it could be argued that they are so important to study due to their ever-changing nature. Murphy, in 2010, even stated that 'the most rapid and the most interesting semantic developments in linguistic change are said to occur with intensifiers.' But why are intensifiers used? According to Hu, in 2013, they arise out of 'a speaker or writer's desire to be 'original' to demonstrate verbal skills, and to capture the attention of an audience'. An even more intriguing part of intensifiers is that this does not seem to work at times. According to Wright, in 1995, 'the most interesting finding about intensifiers is that they do not seem to affect listeners in the way intended by speakers'. Wright argued that advertisements, for instance, worked less well when an intensifier was added, since they seemed to influence the viewer in a negative way and seemed to take away from the product. However, while researchers disagree on the exact reasons to research intensifiers, be they investigating a speaker's wish for originality, language change, or the fact that intensifiers do, at times, negatively impact the recipient of the intensification, the fact still stands that they are worth investigating. Sri Lanka is a comparatively small island state south of India. It only recently, in 2009, finally escaped the clutches of colonialism and civil war. Today, it comes into its own more and more, and is finally able to rewrite history on its own terms. Sri Lankan English is a fresh, new research ground that offers a variety of opportunities for the advancement of learning.