Some Notes on the History of Spanish Punctuation

Some interesting problems remain with the igual . . . construction. What if one wishes to distinguish between, He's just like his father, (i.e., in temperament or character, for example) as opposed to He's his father's equal, (i.e., in rank) without rewording the expression? Will a distinction between Es igual que su padre and Es igual a su padre convey the distinction, or must the second idea be expressed with Es igual con su padre or with some other pattern? Will the generalization that que stresses how something is as opposed to a, which stresses what something is like, apply in all cases? The dictionaries offer little help; Appleton's New Cuyds Dictionary, in fact, lists the following as definition for igual que: (common but incorrect for igual a), equal to, the same as.2 In spite of the confusion and indecision between the alternate possibilities, it seems that igual a should be indicated to the student, if not practiced in response drills. Indeed, the Cuyds would have us believe we have been teaching incorrectly

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