Small events. Verbal diminutives in the languages of the world

Abstract

Diminutives are typically nouns. However, verbs can also be diminutivised, i.e. marked for reduced intensity, duration, seriousnessor successof the actionor event.This paper is a first attempt at a typology of verbal diminutives, based on a balanced sample of 248languages. We discuss the analytical and terminological challenges that arise from the study of a category that is not widely recognised and does not have an established place in grammatical descriptions. Our sample shows that verbal diminutives occur across the world, with a slightlyhigher predominance in the Americas andsomewhatfewer cases in Africa. Among the language families, Austronesian has the highest percentage of verbal diminutives in our sample. We present ourresults forthe various formal exponents of verbal diminution on the one hand and the array of semantic effects on the other. Meanings are separated into three categories: attenuation in quantity, attenuation in quality and affective meanings. In many cases, markers of verbal diminution encodeadditional meanings, some of which contradict the coremeaningof attenuation by expressing intensity, durativity or iteration. Such apparent paradoxes have parallels in nominal diminutives.The paper closes with recommendations for further research