CASA — A Constructionist Approach to Syntactic Analysis

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God-knows-what Construction

Name God-knows-what Construction
Semantic function of cxn Expressing one's puzzlement about (some detail of) an ACTION by (seemingly) referring to a higher AUTHORITY as the only source of precise information.
Usage conditions Typically, the noun in the first slot is stressed.
Semantic role of slots AUTHORITY ACTION DISCUSSED (continued)
Syntactic form God
goodness
heaven
lord
knows what
how
why
where
when
who
which
whom
whether
rest of clause
contextual marker