On the expressiveness of the verbal prefix po- in the Serbian language

This paper examines the expressiveness of the Serbian verbal prefix po-. The main aims of the research are to identify the meanings in which this affix functions as a designator of expressiveness, and to endeavour to explain how its expressive function has developed. The research corpus was primarily compiled from the six-volume Dictionary of the Serbo-Croatian Literary Language published by Matica Srpska. The expressiveness of the preposition po- in the Serbian language is analyzed in the light of J. D. Apresjan?s theory of integral language description and V. N. Telija?s theory of connotation. The development of the expressive function is approached from the perspective of cognitive semantics. The analysis reveals that it is only in its delimitative meaning that the Serbian verbal prefix po- conveys the information about the speaker?s attitude towards the subject, thus carrying expressive value. It is further concluded that the expressiveness of this affix, tied to the concept of delimitativity, arose from the prefix?s spatial and distributive meanings. The expressiveness of the prefix po- is based on comparison and implies the existence of a norm or standard as an implicit reference point. In all analyzed examples including delimitative verbs with the prefix po-, the speaker?s evaluation suggests a deviation from the norm, usually in the sense of ?less than the norm?, and contains information about prototypical situations. Given that many of the analyzed verbs are archaic, especially those with multiple prefixes, future research on the expressiveness of the Serbian verbal prefix po- could benefit from analyzing data extracted from modern electronic corpora of the Serbian language, which would certainly yield a more accurate understanding of the prefix?s current use. Nevertheless, this study draws the conclusion that, even though the prefix po- belongs to expressive affixes, expressiveness is not its primary semantic function.