Semantics of approximative particles in contemporary Italian

Abstract

In our paper we classify Italian approximative particles and describe their semantics. We define as «approximatives» all those modifiers that imply a certain degree of discrepancy between the speaker’s statement and the state of things it refers to. Approximatives are divided into two classes – limiting and graduating. We display their three main meanings: they imply a veracity assessment concerning the stated name, they imply the possibility of another name, they contain the seme ‘a little’. On the basis of its meanings and functions we define the semantic category of approximation as an autonomous category within linguistic system.