When something becomes a bit
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20344796 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Patrícia Amaral (0000-0002-8217-3954, Indiana University Bloomington, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Pages | 151-186 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Diachronica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0176-4225 • E-ISSN: 1569-9714 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/dia.33.2.01ama |
| OpenAlex | W2533128147 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
This paper analyzes the mechanisms of syntactic and semantic change involved in the development of the degree modifier algo “a bit, a little” in Spanish from an indefinite pronoun with inanimate reference meaning “something”. Specifically, it focuses on the distribution of the pronoun in the Medieval and Classical periods of Spanish and its interpretation in partitive and pseudo-partitive constructions. I argue for combination of structural and pragmatic factors in the creation of the degree modifier and relate this change to other diachronic developments of indefinites across languages. I also discuss implications for models of the distribution of degree modifiers crosslinguistically
Epistemology · Linguistics · Pronoun · Semantic change · Semantic interpretation · Computer Science · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Mathematics · Philosophy · Spanish Linguistics and Language Studies · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |