Over- and out- as negatively-oriented markers

Abstract: In this paper, I address the issue of negation through two markers, verbal prefixes over- and out- which do not have an intrinsic negative meaning but which act as negatively-oriented markers. In the utterer-centered framework used here, these markers are seen as a means of assessing a value in relation to a subjective boundary. The different semantic stages at stake are defined as occurring in a notional domain. Negation is thus considered as the expression of an alteration which results from going beyond normal limits to such an extent as to possibly exit the domain. Overbook and overdo, for instance, imply excess, hence “not having the expected value”. The markers considered here are studied in context and taken from a large corpus of oral and written English.