Workshop description: English like is both a mitigator and a mirative expression, which Beltrama & Hanink (2019) consider as two clearly separate functions. However, the fact that one form expresses both functions is no coincidence. In fact, the polyfunctionality of like is strikingly similar to Spanish tipo and como, which are used as non-con trastive focus markers (Mihatsch 2020), and which also seem to appear in mirative contexts (Dessì Schmid et al. 2025). We argue that both miratives and mitigators can facilitate CG updates. Possibly, their common default-switching function might explain the diachronic (and synchronic) link between mitigation and mirativity. This workshop, organized by project B3 and project B4, addresses these questions, focusing on pragmatic markers that are used both as mitigating and mirative devices and we will compare and contrast the effects of mitigation and mirativity for CG management.
Abstract booklet
Registration for attendance until Monday 09 November 12pm:
