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October 01, 2005
Language Chapter Three
Question Number Two
The auxiliary verb “am” and other similar words should be considered function words because a word like “am” is usually only used before a more descriptive verb, or adjective, such as I am jumping, or I am skinny. A content word is what conveys the meaning of what is said and “am” seems to be used like an article or some other word that is not descriptive and is rarely used to develop a more complex idea.
Society invents new words constantly, including function words. “Very” is a word that doesn’t imply any particular meaning, it just adds to another word, like “I am very ill.” New quantifiers are invented with every new generation. A word like “super” was probably not used 50 years ago to describe quantity. Sentences like, “He is super cool”, or “I am super hungry” are now used in different context rather that just “Superman” or “This candy is super”. Also, the New England term “wicked” is used in place of “very”, like in the sentence, “I’m wicked thirsty.”
Posted by lcishagan at October 1, 2005 08:15 PM