Subcategorization and change: A diachronic analysis of sin embargo (de que)

Patrícia Amaral, Manuel Delicado Cantero

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper analyzes the syntactic and semantic changes undergone by the PP sin embargo 'without obstacle/impediment' as it develops its clause-taking properties in Spanish from the 12th to the 16th centuries, essential for its further reanalysis as a concessive connective. We argue against an account that explains this change through a metaphor from the lack of a barrier in the sociophysical world to the epistemic world. Instead, we show that the syntactic and semantic change stems from the subcategorization properties of the noun embargo, which in the 1400s selects for the preposition de and later for the complementizer que, with scope over a proposition. The selection of a clausal complement, and hence the increase in scope of the original prepositional phrase, underlies the creation of the sentence connective.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationContemporary Trends in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics
    Subtitle of host publicationSelected papers from the Hispanic Linguistic Symposium 2015
    EditorsJonathan E. MacDonald
    PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company
    Pages31-47
    Number of pages17
    ISBN (Electronic)9789027200013
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018

    Publication series

    NameIssues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics
    Volume15
    ISSN (Print)2213-3887

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