Domain-sensitive weather phraseology from a constructionist perspective

A case study based on Dutch dialects in Flanders

Abstract

This paper looks at weather phraseology in Dutch dialects in Flanders from a CxG perspective. In this regard, our paper is situated at the interface between CxG research into phraseology, on the one hand, and CxG research into specialised discourse, on the other. More concretely, we will check the productivity of phraseological patterns across different dialects and consider which specialised needs these patterns fulfil. Results show that three phraseological patterns appear across the three main dialect groups: weather-vp + direct object (‘t rint oude wuvn), weather-vp + comp + vp (‘t rint da’t zikt) and impersonal-vp + np (‘t is kerremesse in d’helle). Since these patterns (i) share an intensifying function and (ii) concern ‘bad’ or ‘unpleasant’ weather situations, we conclude that there is a specialised need for intensification.