Prefixed Verbs in po- in Polish as an Expression of a Negative, Positive and Distributive Intensity

Abstract

This paper addresses the phenomenon of the quantitative and (de)intensifying properties of po- prefixed perfectives in Polish, such as delimitatives derived from atelic verbs and distributive perfectives whose sources are imperfective telic verbs. An analysis of the so called ‘satisfactive’ constructions with delimitatives accompanied by the non-argument dative reflexive pronoun is provided as well. While delimitatives have a deintensifying function, satisfactive contructions exhibit an intensifying value. The distributive po- perfectives, requiring one of the event participants to be plural, also convey a quantitative meaning.