Abstract
AbstractIt is widely assumed that the frequency adverbalwayscombined with the progressive aspect is typically used in negative evaluations expressing irritation, i.e., complaints. Adopting a cognitive-functional approach, I test this claim across six genres of Present Day English.Alwaysprogressives were coded according to their functions: Describe (neutral), Complain (negative), Lament (negative), or Praise (positive). Neutral, rather than negative, functions predominated in all genres, although negative functions outnumbered positive functions. I relate the former finding to the propensity ofalwaysprogressives to act similarly to the simple aspect and the latter to a cognitive phenomenon called the negativity bias.
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