Zinsbrokken

Abstract

This paper explores idioms or idiom-like constructions in Dutch, all containing a finite verb. Some of these constructions are also known as "syntactic amalgams" and/or "grafts"; I prefer the broader and loosely defined term "chunks of sentences" ("zinsbrokken"). Three types are discerned, as shown in: (1) "Er is iets aan het gebeuren in de katholieke kerk, denk ik" ("There is something happening in the Catholic Church, I think"); (2) "Ik ben toch wel in wat je noemt een impasse" ("I am in what you call a deadlock"); (3) " – De "maar-ik-ben-dood"-wending laat kijkers achter met een beklemmend gevoel" ("The 'but I am dead'-turn leaves the spectator with a feeling of oppression"). As far as known: all of them are relatively young, i.e. since one or two hundred years. The paper is also an exploration on possible causes of the origin of this unique kind of constructions.

Keywords

• idiom
• finite verb
• syntactic amalgams
• chunks of sentences
• Dutch