INSTANTIAL COMULATIVE USE: THE POTENTIAL OF THE DIMINUTIVE IN ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGY

Reiteration of a PU or its parts organised consecutively is not the only technique of cohesion and enhancement. A cumulative concatenation of instantial items in linear sequence may also achieve a cumulative effect by successive reiterations of the same single pattern of instantial use over a larger stretch of discourse. The Stylistic effect keeps increasing steadily in quantity, degree, or rate of development, augmenting by successive additions. Incremental use of one stylistic element gains a cumulative momentum of its own. Let me explore the cumulative potential of one instantial element on the basis of the diminutive in English phraseology. In order to be able to draw inferences or make judgements about instantial use of the diminutive in phraseology, It is essential to have a clear understanding of the linguistic character of this phenomenon.