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"Only" and its synonyms

Richard Kennaway (jrk%INFORMATION-SYSTEMS.EAST-ANGLIA.AC.UK@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU)
 writes:


>"Only" seems to me to be a three-place predicate masquerading as a
>two-place one.  "X is only Y" means "X is Y and, perhaps contrary to
>expectation, is not Z", where Z is left unstated.

>The same applies to the near-synonyms "really", "essentially", "nothing
>but", "basically", "at bottom", "simply", "purely", "no more than" etc.

I think he has really hit the essence of the problem. I do not think anyone
could put it better.

                                                Bruce