The present PhD thesis deals with nominal suffixal derivation in pre-classical French (about 1550-1610). Based both on traditional data collection and on available digital corpuses, especially Frantext, it first strives to define basic concepts such as language standard, problems of periodization, productivity, lexicalization, paradigmatization, panchronic validity of word-formation rules etc. On selected derivational patterns, it also tests the operationality of Optimality theory (OT) and other mechanisms (i.a. paradigmatization) in diachronic perspective. In several follow-up chapters, it then analyzes, from a diachronic point of view, a number of suffixes (-age, -aison, -ance, - ment, etc.).

GenDR est un réalisateur de texte symbolique qui prend en entrée un graphe, une repré- sentation sémantique, et génère les graphes sous forme d’arbres de dépendances syntaxiques lui correspondant. L’une des tâches de GenDR lui permettant d’effectuer cette transduction est la lexicalisation profonde. Il s’agit de choisir les bonnes unités lexicales exprimant les sémantèmes de la représentation sémantique d’entrée. Pour ce faire, GenDR a besoin d’un dictionnaire sémantique établissant la correspondance entre les sémantèmes et les unités lexi- cales correspondantes dans une langue donnée. L’objectif de cette étude est d’élaborer un module de lexicalisation souple construisant automatiquement un dictionnaire sémantique du français riche pour GenDR, son dictionnaire actuel étant très pauvre. Plus le dictionnaire de GenDR est riche, plus sa capacité à paraphra- ser s’élargit, ce qui lui permet de produire la base de textes variés et naturels correspondant à un même sens. Pour y parvenir, nous avons testé deux méthodes. La première méthode consistait à réorganiser les données du Réseau Lexical du Français sous la forme d’un dictionnaire sémantique, en faisant de chacun de ses noeuds une entrée du dictionnaire et des noeuds y étant reliés par un type de lien lexical que nous appelons fonctions lexicales paradigmatiques sémantiquement vides ses lexicalisations. La deuxième méthode consistait à tester la capacité d’un modèle de langue neuronal contextuel à générer des lexicalisations supplémentaires potentielles correspondant aux plus proches voisins du vecteur calculé pour chaque entrée du dictionnaire afin de l’enrichir. Le dictionnaire construit à partir du Réseau lexical du français est compatible avec GenDR et sa couverture a été considérablement élargie. L’utilité des lexicalisations supplémentaires générées par le modèle neuronal s’est avérée limitée, ce qui nous amène à conclure que le modèle testé n’est pas tout à fait apte à accomplir le genre de tâche que nous lui avons de- mandée. / GenDR is an automatic text realiser. Its input is a graph; a semantic representation, and its output is the corresponding syntactic dependencies tree graphs. One of GenDR’s tasks to operate this transduction successfully is called deep lexicalization, i.e. choosing the right lexical units to express the input semantic representation’s semantemes. To do so, GenDR needs access to a semantic dictionnary that maps the semantemes to the corresponding lexical units in a given language. This study aims to develop a flexible lexicalization module to build a rich French semantic dictionary automatically for GenDR, its current one being very poor. The more data the semantic dictionary contains, the more paraphrases GenDR is able to produce, which enables it to generate the basis for natural and diverse texts associated to a same meaning. To achieve this, we have tested two different methods. The first one involved the reorganization of the French Lexical Network in the shape of a semantic dictionary, by using each of the network’s nodes as a dictionary entry and the nodes linked to it by a special lexical relationship we call semantically empty paradigmatic lexical functions as its lexicalizations. The second method involved testing a contextual neural language model’s ability to gen- erate potential additional lexicalizations by calculating the vector of each of the dictionary entries and generating its closest neighbours in order to expand the semantic dictionary’s coverage. The dictionary we built from the data contained in the French Lexical Network is com- patible with GenDR and its coverage has been significantly broadened. Use of the additional lexicalizations produced by the language model turned out to be limited, which brings us to the conclusion that the tested model isn’t completely able to perform the task we’ve asked from it.

本文研究漢語的連動結構。首先我們先將連動結構的定義做一個清楚的界定，之後再從動詞間的語意面著手，對連動結構中動詞間的語意關係，提出詳盡的說明與解釋。除此之外，根據連動句中詞彙的受限性以及動詞間的語意關聯性這兩個原則，我們再進一步將漢語的連動結構區分為四個類型。最後，我們從句法的層面切入來探討漢語的連動結構。我們認為不同的語意解讀是由於不同的句法結構所導致。 / This thesis investigates serial verb constructions (SVCs) in Mandarin Chinese. The serial verb constructions are often confused with other superficially similar structures; thus, the first objective of this study is to explicitly delimitate the definition of SVCs and to differentiate them from other structures. In addition, we will further explore the semantic relationship between the serial verbs and classify SVCs into several types according to the V1-V2 correlations, the independence between sub-events, and the lexical restrictiveness of the verbs. We will then analyze the syntactic relationship of the verbs. Finally, we also propose that there are two possible structures for SVCs in Mandarin. Chapter 1 is a brief introduction of the term “serial verb construction.” We will first go over its definitions, the functions it can convey, and the geographical distribution of languages with SVC. In Chapter 2, we will present the distinguishing characteristics of SVC and distinguish it from other similar structures. In Chapter 3, we will present different semantic correlations between the VPs. In Chapter 4, we will classify Mandarin SVCs into different subtypes based on the lexical and semantic criteria. Chapter 5 presents the tentative syntactic analyses of Mandarin SVCs. Chapter 6 concludes this paper.

本論文「客語「放」及其同類動詞：框架語義與構式之互動」以Fillmore (1985)提出的「框架語義」以及Goldberg (1995)等學者提出的「構式語法」觀點為基礎，分析客語「放」字構式呈現的多義現象。客語「放」字涉及「使動事件」：空間位移與狀態變化。本文著重分析「使動結構」與客語「放」字在動賓、動補及句子等構式中語意－句法的互動。同時藉助隱喻與轉喻的強化，說明客語「放」字延伸語意之間的關聯性，並進一步闡述客語「放」字在動賓結構中詞彙化為複合詞的現象。此外，本文亦檢視客語其他放置類動詞：方向同類動詞、工具同類動詞、方式同類動詞，經由審視其詞彙化類型與框架語義之互動，說明其語意內涵與句法上的表現。因此，本論文經由分析詞彙化類型與探討事件架構中參與角色的展現與否，說明客語放置類動詞語意與句法間的相互關係。 / English verbs describing putting, a prototypical exemplar of a caused-motion activity, have been pervasively found to be the first acquired and the most frequently used verbs in many languages. Their semantic compatibility with various syntactic structures reinforces the association between verbal meanings and the constructions, giving rise to a grouping of related but distinct senses (Goldberg et al. 2004). Piong3 (放) ‘to put’ in Hakka is abundant in semantics. The basic meaning of piong3 designates a common pattern of human experience: An animate entity exerts manual force upon a physical object and causes the object to move. Adopting Goldberg’s (1995) Constructions and Fillmore’s (1985) Frame Semantics, this study aims to account for the meaning relatedness latent in piong3 and explicate the shades of meaning rooted in the set of its congeners with different degree of family resemblance. It is argued that the delicate nuances denoted by piong3 are derived from the interaction between frames and constructions while the extended meanings of piong3 are linked to its typical use through various metaphors and metonymies such as CONTAINER, EVENT STRUCTURE, CHANGE OF STATE AS CHANGE OF LOCATION metaphors and ACTION FOR RESULT metonymy. Furthermore, with regard to congeners of piong3 in Hakka, it is maintained that differences in profiling and lexicalization patterns capture the primary difference between piong3 and its congeners. Specifically, piong3 does not lexicalize other semantic elements (i.e. path, means, manner, result, and etc.) into its lexical meaning whereas its congeners explicitly do so, in that three subtypes of the congeners can be identified: directional congeners, means congeners, and manner congeners.

Dans cette thèse, nous présentons une analyse syntaxique du vietnamien de Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville, dans la lignée de la syntaxe fonctionnelle mise en place par André Martinet et développée par la suite par ses continuateurs. Dans un premier temps, nous nous sommes intéressée au degré d’opposition verbo-nominal en vietnamien : nous proposons tout d’abord une synthèse des travaux menés à ce sujet, avant d’exposer notre analyse en classes, en nous appuyant sur des critères strictement syntaxiques. Une étude syntaxique détaillée des modalités (déterminants non déterminables) – les modalités nominalisantes, les modalités de degré, les modalités prédicatives et les modalités injonctives – a été nécessaire. Ces unités permettent de distinguer des comportements différents, et l’identification des grandes classes lexicales du vietnamien : nominaux, adjectifs, modaux et verbaux. Il apparait que ces classes d’unités s’organisent en un continuum, avec à un pôle les nominaux, à l’autre les verbaux. Dans un second temps, l’analyse porte sur les différents types de structures prédicatives du vietnamien. La variété des constructions – nucléaires et connectives – est au centre de l’étude, ainsi que l’identification des différentes fonctions. Enfin, nous exposons une analyse des “séries verbales”, phénomène très courant en vietnamien, mais décrivant en fait des réalités très diverses. Tout au long de l’analyse, nous accordons une importance particulière à la variation et aux zones de changements (réanalyses, lexicalisations, grammaticalisations), faisant état de la dynamique des différentes structures et de la langue elle-même. / We present here a syntaxic analysis of the Vietnamese language spoken in Ho Chi Minh City, in line with the functional syntax introduced by André Martinet and developed later by his followers. In a first part, we examined the extent of noun/verb opposition in Vietnamese. After a synthesis of work on this subject, we present our own analysis of the lexical classes, relying on strictly syntactic criteria. A detailed study of the syntactic modalités (undeterminable determinants) - nominalizing undeterminable determinants, undeterminable determinants of degree, predicative undeterminable determinants and injunctive undeterminable determinants - was necessary. These units are used to distinguish different behaviors, and leads to the identification of major lexical classes in Vietnamese: nominals, adjectives, modals and ‘verbals’. It appears that these classes of units are organized along a continuum. In a second part, the analysis focuses on the different types of predicative structures in Vietnamese. The variety of structures - nuclear and connective - is central to the study as well as the identification of the different functions. Finally, we present an analysis of "serial verb constructions" very common in Vietnamese, but actually reflecting very different realities. Throughout this study, we pay particular attention to the variation and change (reanalysis, lexicalizations, grammaticalizations), referring to the dynamics of the various structures and of the Vietnamese language itself.

This dissertation investigates the use of the subjunctive in completive clauses governed by verbs in Italian, both synchronically and diachronically, and in Vulgar Latin. By making use of the tools provided by the Variationist Sociolinguistic framework (Labov 1972, 1994), the current study sheds light on the underlying conditioning on variability using actual usage and speech-surrogate data. Contemporary actual speech data comes from LIP (De Mauro et al. 1993) and C-ORAL-ROM (Cresti & Moneglia 2005) corpora, providing spontaneous discourse in casual and careful speech as well as sub-sample divisions representative of geographical variation. In order to measure any changes in the underlying conditioning on subjunctive selection, a diachronic benchmark is established: a corpus of speech-like surrogates of 16th to 20th century Italian, COHI (Corpus of Historical Italian), and a corpus of Vulgar Latin (Cena Trimalchionis, from the Satyricon by Petronius). The subjunctives were extracted in adherence to the principle of accountability (Labov 1972), using the method developed by Poplack (1992): every complement clause governed by a matrix verb (governor) that triggered the subjunctive at least once was included. This method enables us to circumvent the issue of the lack of consensus in the literature on exactly which contexts, i.e. verbs and/or meanings, should trigger the subjunctive in discourse. This issue surfaces as well from the meta-linguistic analysis of a compendium of 58 Italian grammars and treaties (CSGI, Collezione Storica di Grammatiche Italiane), constructed for the purpose of this research. A series of linguistic and extra-linguistic factors proposed by formal and prescriptive literature are operationalized and tested against the corpora of both Italian and Vulgar Latin, in order to ascertain the nature of variability in discourse: i.e. whether the use of the subjunctive is semantically motivated, productive in speech or undergoing desemanticization and lexicalization. Despite widespread assumption of a change that occurred after the political and the subsequent linguistic unification of Italy, i.e. that the subjunctive has lost ground in favour of the indicative when it was supposedly used categorically in the past, quantitative and statistical evidence shows that subjunctive selection is largely determined by lexical identity of the governor as well as embedded suppletive forms of essere, and that this pattern has been operative at least since the 16th century. On a more socio-linguistic aspect, this study confirms the linguistic prestige that the subjunctive has acquired in contemporary speech, being selected with a wider range of infrequent and singleton governors by highly educated speakers. Also, the highly lexicalized pattern on variability was found to be largely shared amongst the four main urban centres of Florence, Milan, Rome, and Naples, thus countering the assumption of divergent linguistic behaviour between northern and southern varieties of Italian. The study also shows that despite the significant time span targeted, no evidence of desemanticization has been found. Likewise, the variationist analysis on the Vulgar Latin subjunctive shows that subjunctive choice was already largely determined by, and restricted, to a few governors, identified as ‘volitive’ and ‘emotive’ matrices. These governors remained strong predictors for the selection of the subjunctive in Italian as well, suggesting that this lexical pattern has been transferred and consistently retained in the daughter language.

Avhandlingen tar sin utgångspunkt i två uppslagsord i Svenska Akademiens Ordlista 2006: bautasten och bauta-. Övergripande syfte är att beskriva och förklara lexikala förändringar hos ord bildade med bauta(-) i svenskan under perioden 1664–2006, med särskild hänsyn till dessa förändringars relation till ordens etableringsgrad. Materialet består av 838 belägg för ord bildade med baut- eller böt-, och därutöver undersöks 30 ordböcker. Ordet bautasten är ett isländskt lånord i svenskan. Undersökningen av fornvästnordiska ord visar att bautasteinn kan vara ’sten som är slagen ned i jorden’ eller ’sten rest över en fallen krigare’, två betydelser som kan sammanföras i betydelsen ’minnessten’. Denna betydelse framträder också tydligt i samtliga texter. Historiens höga status under stormaktstiden har haft stor betydelse för att ordet bautasten lånades in i svenskan år 1664. Språkstrukturella faktorer har sannolikt lett till att ordet har uppmärksammats och att det har kunnat användas i svenskan. Under perioden 1664–1790 har etableringsgraden hos bautasten inte har varit hög, men vissa tecken tyder på att den höjs under perioden. Fram till ca 1900 stiger etableringsgraden hos bautasten, men den avtar sedan fram till 1973. I avhandlingen antas att ordets växlande etableringsgrad har varit beroende av synen på historien. I början av 1970-talet stiger etableringsgraden åter hos bautasten och 1985 finns första belägget för bauta- som förstärkande förled, vilket med stor sannolikhet har sin orsak att söka hos den stora populariteten hos och spridningen av seriealbumet Asterix. Förleden bauta- har visat sig vara mycket användbar som förstärkande förled. I materialet finns 3 ord bildade med bauta(-) som inte är etablerade i språksamfundet. / The starting point for the dissertation is two entry words in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista (SAOL 13, 2006): bautasten and bauta-. The overall purpose is to describe and explain lexical changes in words created with bauta(-) in the Swedish language during 1664–2006, placing particular em¬phasis on these changes in relation to the degree of establish¬ment. The material consists of 838 pieces of evidence of words created with baut- or böt- and, in addition, 30 dictionaries are exam¬ined. The word bautasten (‘menhir’, ‘standing stone’) is an Icelandic loan word in the Swedish lan¬guage. The examination of Old West Norse words shows that bautasteinn can be ’sten som är slagen ned i jorden’ (‘stone beaten into the ground’) or ’sten rest över en fallen krigare’ (‘stone erected over a fallen warrior’), two meanings which can be brought together in the meaning ’minnessten’ (‘memorial monument’). This meaning also clearly appears in all texts. The high status of history during the Swedish Age of Greatness was significant for the inclu¬sion of the word bautasten into the Swedish language in 1664. Language-structural factors have likely lead to the word being noticed as well as made it possible to use in the Swedish language. During 1664–1790, the degree of establishment of bautasten was not high, but there are indi¬cations that it increased during the period. Until about 1900, the degree of estab¬lish¬ment of bautasten increased, but then it decreased up until 1973. In the disserta¬tion it is assumed that the varying degree of establishment has been dependent on the view of history. In the beginning of the 1970s, the degree of establishment of bautasten increased once again and in 1985, the first instance of bauta- as an augmentative prefix appears, which most likely can be attributed to the great popularity and wide spread of the cartoon magazine Asterix. The prefix bauta- has proven to be very usable as an augmentative. There are 3 words created with bauta(-) in the material that are not established in the language community

本論文依據現代客語語料庫，探討臺灣客語評注性情態副詞在語法化、詞彙化以及語用化運作之下的發展過程，以及情態與語言演變機制之間的關係。藉由三個知識性情態詞，本文對於評注性情態副詞之分佈、語義和句法特徵進行詳細的描述。藉由檢視其構式結構以及運用相關測試，證實評注性情態副詞不但遵守副詞修飾範域：話語行為副詞 > 情態副詞 (評論副詞 > 知識性情態副詞) > 附加副詞，也同樣依循情態詞之階層分佈：知識性情態詞 > 義務性情態詞 > 動力性情態詞。在他們所處之語意語境以及語用語境影響之下，語用推論的產生導引出重新分析，此轉喻強化現象，致使評注性情態副詞在階段發展中經歷了語法及語意之轉變。在語言使用之溝通目的下，評注性情態副詞透過語境誘發之重新解釋形成了歧義現象，並進一步固定化為獨立之語意。綜言之，奠基於臺灣客語語料庫之實際語料，本文提供了對評注性情態副詞全面的深入探索。研究結果具有兩項主要貢獻：將語法化，詞彙化和語用化的理論框架納入臺灣客語情態副詞之分析；並藉由語言實證展示情態與主觀性之間相互關係之理論模式。 / This dissertation takes a corpus-based approach in an attempt to explain the development of Taiwan Hakka modality disjuncts with epistemic interpretation on the theoretical ground of the mechanisms of linguistic change, including grammaticalization, lexicalization, and pragmaticalization. The main focus of this research is on the interaction between modality and the three mechanisms. A fine-grained analysis is provided to examine the morphological characteristics and syntactic structures of epistemic and evaluative modality disjuncts, exemplified by three cases in Taiwan Hakka. Several constructions and tests are manipulated to figure out the scope of modal disjuncts, which warrant the postulation of the scope hierarchy of illocutionary disjunct > modality disjunct (evaluative > epistemic) > adjunct, as well as the ranking of epistemic modal > deontic modal > dynamic modal. Thanks to their semantic-pragmatic contexts, the operation of pragmatic inferences lead them into reanalysis, giving rise to grammatical and semantic shift from one stage to the next. Metonymic strengthening is claimed to be the key to motivate such developments. The usage in a context triggers context-induced reinterpretation, resulting in ambiguity. Overall, this dissertation, probing into actual language usages from corpora, proposes a full-fledged analysis on modality disjuncts. The findings feature two significant contributions—an integration of the theoretical frameworks of grammaticalization, lexicalization and pragmaticalization into the analysis of Taiwan Hakka modality disjuncts; and a demonstration of linguistic investigation for the theorization on the relationship between modality and subjectivity.

Le but principal de la thèse de recherche est celui d’analyser les mécanismes cognitifs et linguistiques à la base des métaphores « d’invention et défigées » en utilisant une approche qui vise à mélanger la théorie de la métaphore conceptuelle de Lakoff et Johnson (1980 et 1999), la théorie de l’intégration conceptuelle de Turner et Fauconnier (2002) et la théorie de l’analogie de Monneret (2004 et 2014). Pour mettre à l’épreuve le fonctionnement de la complémentarité de ces trois modèles, nous avons choisi d’utiliser deux textes littéraires de langue allemande des années 1980-1990 qui sont «Kassandra» (1983) de Christa Wolf et «Minotaurus. Eine Ballade» (1985) de Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Pour identifier le degré de figurativité des métaphores à l’intérieur des textes trois méthodologies ont été mise en place : les interviews des locuteurs allemands ; la consultation des dictionnaires en langue allemande et une observation des éléments présents à l’intérieur de la métaphore à travers la méthodologie MIPVU (Steen et al., 2010). L’analyse nous permet de comprendre le fonctionnement des métaphores dans les textes et les symboles culturels utilisés par les écrivains. De plus, cette recherche vise à montrer l’usage des « frames » et des « blends » conceptuels qui structurent notre cognition. / The main aim of this PhD thesis is the analysis of the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms within the creative and delexicalised metaphors using a mixed approach of Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980 and 1999) theory of conceptual metaphor; the Fauconnier and Turner’s (2002) theory of blending and the Monneret’s (2004 and 2014) theory of analogy. To test the complementariness of these three models, we have chosen two German literary texts from 1980 to 1990 that are «Kassandra» (1983) by Christa Wolf and «Minotaurus: eine Ballade» (1985) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. To identify the degree of figurativeness of the metaphors within these texts, we have used three methodologies: the interviews to German speakers; the consultation of the German language dictionaries and the observation of the elements within metaphors through the MIPVU methodology (Steen et al., 2010). The analysis allows us to understand how metaphors work in the different texts and how cultural symbols are used by authors. Additionally, this research aims to show how the use of conceptual «frames» and conceptual «blends» that structure our cognition. / Lo scopo centrale della tesi di ricerca è quello di analizzare i meccanismi cognitivi e linguistici alla base delle metafore «d’invenzione e delessicalizzate» utilizzando un approccio che miri a fondere la teoria della metafora concettuale di Lakoff e Johnson (1980 e 1999), la teoria dell’integrazione concettuale di Fauconnier e Turner (2002) e la teoria dell’analogia di Monneret (2004 e 2014). Per mettere alla prova il funzionamento della complementarietà di questi tre modelli, è stato scelto di utilizzare due testi letterari di lingua tedesca degli anni 1980-1990 che sono «Kassandra» (1983) di Christa Wolf e «Minotaurus. Eine Ballade» (1985) di Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Per identificare il grado di figuratività delle metafore all’interno dei testi sono state messe in atto tre metodologie: le interviste ai parlanti tedeschi; la consultazione dei dizionari in lingua tedesca e un’osservazione degli elementi presenti all’interno della metafora attraverso la metodologia MIPVU (Steen et al., 2010). L’analisi ci permette di comprendere il funzionamento delle metafore all’interno dei testi e come sono utilizzati i simboli culturali da parte dei singoli autori. In più, questa ricerca rappresenta, quindi, un tentativo di comprendere l’uso dei «frame» e dei «blend» concettuali che strutturano la nostra cognizione.

日常生活中，由於表達的需要，說話者常會使用強化程度副詞，作為增強或強調其所欲言的一種手段。本論文旨在藉由觀察口語語料庫中的對話，將臺灣客語六個常見強化程度副詞「恁、當、蓋、盡、異、還」視作強化程度副詞詞群，進一步以[DI. + X] 結構討論以下面向：(一) 探討其後接修飾之成分在句法、語意層面之表現。本文發現其後接成分可分為典型成分類與非典型成分類，以形容詞一類為大宗，其後接成分會受到等級性（gradability）、有界與無界性（boundedness）等參數影響語意的解讀。(二) 探討強化程度副詞[DI. + X]結構於句法所扮演的角色。本文發現此結構多半出現在謂語之位置，除了強化語意外，同時也展現說話者之態度或對某主題之評價。(三) 探討強化程度副詞[DI. + X] 結構於口語使用中的語法化與詞彙化現象，本文認為這些現象由於溝通需要，亦會伴隨提升主觀性（subjectivity），尤其是強化程度副詞「恁」的主觀性為詞群中最高。藉由上述不同面向探討與分析臺灣客語六個強化程度副詞「恁」、「當」、「蓋」、「盡」、「異」、「還」之表現，以期能更系統性解釋強化程度副詞是如何在口語使用中展現與運作。 / The aim of the present study is to examine the [DI. + X] construction manifested by the six degree intensifiers 恁an2, 當dong1, 蓋goi3 , 盡qin3 ,異i3 , and還han5 in Taiwan Hakka based on their authentic usages in a spoken corpus. Three findings can be reported as follows. First, by exploring the modified elements from the aspect of their structure and meaning, the study classifies the modified elements into canonical and non-canonical usages. X as AP takes up the majority of the occurrences of the syntactic categories. Such manifestation can be accounted for various linguistic behaviors of gradability and boundedness. Second, the [DI. + X] construction usually serves as a predicate, the prominent grammatical function, in a clause. This implies that the [DI. + X] construction is generally adopted by different speakers to not only add intensity but also make judgements or comments. Third, the [DI. + X] construction displays grammaticalization and lexicalization. Due to communication needs, these linguistic phenomena can also motivate the subjectivity. It is found that the [恁an2 + X] construction can display the highest subjectivity among the six. To sum up, this study, with its analysis of different syntactic and semantic aspects of the six degree intensifiers in Taiwan Hakka, offers useful insights into explaining the manifestation of degree intensifiers during speech.