%0 Journal Article %A ten Buuren, Maaike %A van de Groep, Maria %A Collin, Sebastian %A Klatter, Jetske %A de Hoop, Helen %T Facking nice! %D 2018 %J Nederlandse Taalkunde, %V 23 %N 2 %P 223-250 %@ 2352-1171 %R https://doi.org/10.5117/NEDTAA2018.2.010.BUUR %K modernity %K polarity %K experiment %K intensifiers %K frequency %I Amsterdam University Press, %X Abstract High degree adverbs, or so-called intensifiers, constitute a large and apparently ever growing set of words in Dutch, even to the degree that each generation appears to recruit their own set of them. We address the question of what exactly determines the strength of an intensifier by investigating which factors influence their (perceived) strength. The results of an experiment among over 300 high school students show that intensifiers are perceived as stronger when they are (perceived as) more frequent and also when they are (perceived as) more modern. This explains the ongoing extension and renewal of the set of intensifiers in Dutch. %U https://www.aup-online.com/content/journals/10.5117/NEDTAA2018.2.010.BUUR