Gradability and intensification of the language quantity (on the materials of English, Russian and Japanese)

Abstract

The languages under consideration possess numerous lexical as well as grammatical groups of quantity representation. English, Russian and Japanese are exuberant in pure quantification markers and markers of gradability which do not have pure quantitative meaning, but correlate with it. Gradability is connected with norm aberration, marking a 'more than the norm' or 'less than the norm' situation. Intensification is not only norm deflection, but also a kind of evaluation. The role of context is by all means of paramount importance when defining positive or negative types of evaluation.