Abstract This paper explores the relationship between two Italian evaluative constructions, mezzo X and semi- X, both coming from the expression of half-quantity. The aim is to assess whether a competition-based perspective adequately accounts for their coexistence. To this end, we conduct both a synchronic analysis, focusing on lexical and semantic productivity to uncover differences in usage patterns, and a diachronic analysis, tracing the evolution of each construction’s productivity to identify whether their interaction is characterized by exclusion or inclusion. Synchronically, the productivity of each construction does not appear to be constrained by the presence of the other. Rather, we find overlaps across their domains of application, with frequent violations of isomorphism. Diachronically, the constructions do not replace one another; instead, they show increasing overlap, measured by the growing number of shared fillers. From the eighteenth century onwards, semi- X begins to converge and to overlap with mezzo X in the selection of adjectival fillers. However, mezzo X does not seem to exhibit any decline in productivity, nor a shift in its domain of application. These findings suggest that, in the case of evaluative constructions, coexistence may be more effectively accounted for by complex models of interaction, encompassing also inclusive or neutral relationships.
Flavio Pisciotta (Tue,) studied this question.