This paper suggests a specific approach to the semantico-cognitive change in grammaticalization processes which draws upon the exploration of non-discretion conceptual degrees and the increasing cognitive complexity according to Kortmann´s (1997) studies on adverbial-based subordinators. The universe of investigation is made of written texts (editorials, letters, and e-mails) and spoken texts (samples from the database IBORUNA), representing the 18th to 21th centuries. Concerning the connecting usage patterns of assim based on Halliday (1985) approach, i.e. the coordinative, conclusive connector (P assim Q), comparative, confirmative connectors (P assim como Q), temporal connector (Assim que Q, P), and contrastive connector (P, mesmo assim Q), this study concludes that the analysis of the semantico-cognitive relations in the process of grammaticalization of assim provided us with an increasing cognitive complexity scale related to the semantic discretion and a specification of inter-sentence relations set up by these patterns. Accordingly, the results of the analysis allowed us to suggest a tridimensional derivation relation among the cognitive domains, pointing out to Mode as the most productive macro-function in the data.
Semantico-cognitive relations; Grammaticalization; Linguistic change; Cognitive domains
