Unter Tränen, unter Beifall: Das Präpositionsmuster [unter + SUBSOMAT (+ von / Genitivattribut)]

Abstract

The prepositional pattern of German [unter + NOUNsomat (+ von / AttrGen) has not been a subject of systematic research so far. However, a number of criteria can be put forward in order to prove the existence of this pattern in terms of a form-meaning pair. It shows a stable modal-temporal meaning and serves as a semantic intensifier with a syntactic form of a secondary predication. With regard to the fillers of the variable lexical slots, both semantic restrictions and preferences can be observed. The current article aims at conducting a corpus-based analysis of this pattern. After a short project presentation and introduction of the terms internal and external patterns (German: interne / externe Musterhaftigkeit), the following questions will be at the centre of attention: (1) Is the meaning of the preposition effected by the pattern and how can it be described?, (2) What arguments can be found in favor of the function of the pattern as a secondary predication?, (3) What selection criteria for variable slot fillers can be found at the phonetical, grammatical and lexical level? and 4) What do collocational profiles (German: externe Musterhaftigkeit) of the prepositional pattern look like?