Borealis – An International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics

Indefinite readings of referential null subjects and null objects in Spanish

2023-09-29T10:05:22+02:00

It has been claimed in the literature that referential null subjects receive definite readings in consistent null-subject languages, like Spanish. That is why they are said to display the typical behavior of definite pronouns (pro). However, referential null subjects can receive indefinite readings under the following conditions: i) the antecedent must be a bare plural, ii) the indefinite null argument is interpreted as a bare noun, typically as an internal argument, and iii) identity of sense anaphora is involved. Crucially, referential null objects appear under the same conditions, and receive indefinite readings in Peninsular Spanish. This suggests that the gap could be analyzed in the same way. In this paper, I argue that both null arguments should not be analyzed as empty pronominals (pro), given the syntactic behavior that they show. By contrast, I will argue that an argument ellipsis analysis should be assumed, given that the internal argument position is occupied by an indefinite, non-specific bare noun, the null gap can receive sloppy readings, and the omission is not as ‘big’ as the one at verb-stranding VP-ellipsis, nor as ‘small’ as the one at nominal ellipsis.

Unveiling Topic-Remnant Elided Polar Questions

2023-09-15T15:48:49+02:00

This paper offers an in-depth analysis of a novel elliptical construction Spanish, dubbed Topic-Remnant Elided Polar Questions (or polar TREQs in short). A detailed examination of polar TREQs will provide evidence for the claim that (a) they are a type of TP-Ellipsis, triggered by the presence of an [E]-feature on C, and (b) the remnant is a topicalized XP that undergoes movement out of the ellipsis site. Furthermore, the analysis of polar TREQs in various contexts (in particular, with respect to so-called connectivity effects) confirms the need of syntactic identity between the linguistic antecedent and the ellipsis site to license ellipsis here. Additionally, this study sheds light on the syntactic structure underlying these constructions, particularly the presence of an intermediate TopP position within the embedded clause. Moreover, an examination of the patterns related to the presence or absence of an overt complementizer in this elliptical construction provides empirical support for Merchant's (2001) Sluicing-COMP Generalization. In summary, this paper not only provides a comprehensive account of the syntactic intricacies of a new elliptical construction in Spanish, but also provides valuable insights into the broader landscape of ellipsis phenomena in this language.

Ellipsis in Spanish

2023-09-07T13:52:40+02:00

This article presents a descriptive and analytical overview of potential ellipsis cases in Spanish. After highlighting the main complications that the notion of ellipsis brings up, this work presents a detailed summary of the main empirical properties of ellipsis in nominal, verbal and clausal contexts. Then, the main theories about ellipsis and the analytical alternatives to standard deletion at PF are presented. The article concludes with a discussion of what type of properties ellipsis may have in Spanish.

'Drink for thought': Anglicismos en el campo de la bebida en la prensa digital española

2023-09-07T07:07:35+02:00

El presente artículo examina la presencia de anglicismos en el campo de la bebida en el español. A partir del análisis de 22 medios digitales a través de la herramienta “Observatorio Lázaro” se ha procedido a la compilación de una muestra de setenta y ocho unidades léxicas anglicadas no adaptadas. Los términos extraídos hacen referencia a numerosos tipos de bebida alcohólicas, de los cuales muchos ya cuentan con equivalentes en español, mientras que otros de los vocablos aluden a nuevos conceptos que no cuentan con una palabra en español dada su novedad. Otros aspectos como la variedad y frecuencia de uso, la inclusión en varios diccionarios de referencia así como las funciones pragmáticas de estos anglicismos son analizados.

Colombian expressions of condolence on Facebook during the COVID-19 crisis

2023-08-28T09:05:24+02:00

The present research is an examination of 245 responses to three death notice posts published on Facebook. The respondents, all friends of whom published the posts, had no other choice in acting upon the news given the gathering restrictions created by COVID-19 (April 2020-November 2021). First, I examine the personal deixis (e.g., to whom the message is oriented towards) through the close examination of pronouns in the expressions of condolences. Results reveal that to maintain the social relationships, the respondents preferred to orient their message of condolence towards the bereaved or the family followed by orienting the condolence towards both the bereaved and the deceased. In Spanish, orienting the message toward the self (i.e., I am sorry) is the least preferred response. Behavioral cultural expectations also suggests that to demonstrate empathy, Colombian Spanish speakers tend to offer condolences in the form of routine formulas—focused on religious sayings, or expressions that reveal signs of affection. In managing the respect component, the respondents tend to praise God for mercy and strength for the bereaved/family and prayed for the deceased’s soul. In addition, it was noted that the responses included emojis (18.8%) which were used to upgrade and strengthen the force of the expressions of condolence. Although, the results cannot be generalized to the entire Colombian population, this study serves as the base to understand how Spanish speakers respond to condolences, a topic scarcely investigated.

Spanish Verbs of Becoming and Cluster Concepts

2023-08-04T12:33:58+02:00

The behavior of Spanish verbs of becoming (e.g., volverse rico ‘to become rich’), also known as pseudocopular or semicopular verbs, has received relatively little attention in the literature. Bybee & Eddington (2006) (B&E) analyze these verbs employing an exemplar model based on frequency and semantic similarity. The current paper presents an analysis of verbs of becoming based on the notion of cluster concepts (Jackendoff 2002, 1983), set within a scale, as an alternative account to B&E’s, that explains the behavior of this class of verbs in a more precise and comprehensive way. The current study shows that there are strong tendencies in the use of adjectives with a given verb of becoming, which correlate to their use with the copular verbs ser/estar. Crucially, the cluster concept model accounts for uses of adjectives that do not fall into any particular grouping in B&E’s model. A corpus study supports the analysis. The current study represents an original contribution in that it is the only study that treats verbs of becoming using the notion of cluster concepts.

La expresión del futuro en las variedades oral y escrita del español de Uruguay

2023-06-21T12:47:35+02:00

In this article, we analyze the differences in the distribution and interpretation of the synthetic future [-RÁ] and the periphrastic future [IR + a + Inf] in the oral and written records of Uruguayan Spanish. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of two corpora -oral and written- shows that the written language maintains the preference of [-RÁ] to refer to the future while in orality it is pronounced by [IR + a + Inf] and [-RÁ] is used solely as an uncertainty operator. The type of sentences in which [-RÁ] appears in orality (independent and subordinates with complete left periphery) is an indication that this operator is interpreted at the extrapropositional level of the SFuerza projection. In the geographical area studied, the two ways to refer to the future coexist, which leads us to conclude that there are two grammars, one associated with the written language and the other with the oral language.

El sintagma nominal y los complementos preposicionales del nombre: una propuesta didáctica para 4.º de ESO

2023-06-01T15:18:54+02:00

This article addresses the teaching of the noun phrase (NP) in the 4^th year of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO). Firstly, the lack of progression and depth regarding the teaching-learning process of units smaller than sentences in the secondary and baccalaureate curriculum is brought to light. Secondly, the didactic transposition about the NP presented in several textbooks from 4^th of ESO is revised. We also present a didactic proposal about several grammatical contents that can be taught at this stage, so that the configuration of the NP is examined with a level of profundity and complexity higher than the one from previous years. This proposal is completed with a set of exercises to reinforce the theoretical contents presented. The main goal of this didactic proposal is to address the study of the linguistic system in Secondary not only as a communicative tool, but also as a scientific object. In this way, the metalinguistic ability will be strengthened from the development of skills such as active observation, reflection, hypothesis formulation and (contra)argumentation.

'Carácter', 'naturaleza' e 'índole' como nombres ligeros de nivel individual

2023-06-01T14:46:36+02:00

Las nominalizaciones de cualidad (utilidad), relacionadas con adjetivos de nivel individual (X es útil), y las de estado (agitación), asociadas a adjetivos de nivel episódico (X está agitado), pueden parafrasearse por un nombre acompañado del adjetivo correspondiente (de carácter útil, situación agitada). Las nominalizaciones ambiguas (dificultad) entre un sentido de cualidad (la dificultad de X ‘cualidad de difícil’) y uno de estado (X está en dificultades ‘en un periodo difícil’) también admiten dicha paráfrasis (naturaleza difícil, circunstancias difíciles). En este estudio defenderemos que los nombres que coocurren con los adjetivos en estos contextos son predicados ligeros, en la medida en que funcionan como núcleo sintáctico del sintagma, pero no como su núcleo semántico. Además, mostraremos que estos nombres pueden clasificarse en dos tipos, nombres ligeros individuales y nombres ligeros episódicos, y que se combinan con adjetivos del mismo tipo aspectual, sirviendo en ocasiones como desambiguadores de los adjetivos. En particular, nos centraremos en los nombres ligeros de nivel individual, de los que realizaremos una descripción, contrastándolos primero con los verbos ligeros y, a continuación, con los nombres ligeros de nivel episódico. Para llevar a cabo esta tarea, hemos seleccionado los nombres 'carácter', 'naturaleza' e 'índole' como representativos de la clase de los nombres ligeros individuales y analizamos su comportamiento a partir de ejemplos extraídos de CORPES XXI.

Politeness strategies in the greetings of Spanish learners in virtual language learning environments

2023-06-06T10:09:45+02:00

The present study reveals how 34 Spanish learners from two different cultures and first-language backgrounds follow politeness norms related to greetings in the context of a collaborative cross cultural online learning (CCOL) classroom project. Using WhatsApp, students are instructed to upload a 1-minute introduction video about themselves. Then, after watching their peers’ videos, students are asked to greet and welcome international members to their teams. Data from students’ initial greetings identify a significant difference in terms of number of greetings and the type of semantic formulas used. Results support previous research in identifying a sense of cordiality and warmth within Indian society toward guests that gets replicated in the second language context. Indian students tend toward involvement, whereas the American Students tend to orient towards independence in the involvement/independence dichotomy (Félix-Brasdéfer 2006). Understanding how these politeness norms transfer would be an essential tool in facilitating intercultural exchanges and collaborations as students meet the social, global, and cultural demands of the 21^st century.