Home Chapter 10. A constructional analysis of digo yo in peninsular Spanish
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Chapter 10. A constructional analysis of digo yo in peninsular Spanish

  • Montserrat Martínez Vázquez
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Constructions in Spanish
This chapter is in the book Constructions in Spanish

Abstract

This paper examines the variable functions of the clausal construction digo yo (DY) ‘I say’ in contemporary Peninsular Spanish. A corpus-based analysis shows pendulation between a communicative DY, which introduces past quotes, and a metacommunicative DY, which functions as a comment clause. In initial position, DY resembles a matrix clause, however, its subject-verb inversion produces a backgrounding effect which renders the conjunction que (‘that’) unnecessary and favours a parenthetical analysis of DY. In medial and final positions DY is an evidential/epistemic comment clause which overlaps with other epistemic comment clauses (e.g. creo yo ‘I believe’, pienso yo ‘I think’). In order to provide a unified account of the different uses of DY, a constructional approach is taken. In line with Van Bogaert (2010) and Kaltenböck (2010, 2013), the formal and functional features of DY are explained through a constructional network. A hierarchical network captures its links to the communicative construction, while its analogical connections to other epistemic constructions are captured in a horizontal network (Traugott, 2018).

Abstract

This paper examines the variable functions of the clausal construction digo yo (DY) ‘I say’ in contemporary Peninsular Spanish. A corpus-based analysis shows pendulation between a communicative DY, which introduces past quotes, and a metacommunicative DY, which functions as a comment clause. In initial position, DY resembles a matrix clause, however, its subject-verb inversion produces a backgrounding effect which renders the conjunction que (‘that’) unnecessary and favours a parenthetical analysis of DY. In medial and final positions DY is an evidential/epistemic comment clause which overlaps with other epistemic comment clauses (e.g. creo yo ‘I believe’, pienso yo ‘I think’). In order to provide a unified account of the different uses of DY, a constructional approach is taken. In line with Van Bogaert (2010) and Kaltenböck (2010, 2013), the formal and functional features of DY are explained through a constructional network. A hierarchical network captures its links to the communicative construction, while its analogical connections to other epistemic constructions are captured in a horizontal network (Traugott, 2018).

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Part 1. Introduction
  4. Chapter 1. Construction Grammar meets Hispanic linguistics 2
  5. Part 2. Comparative word-formation constructions
  6. Chapter 2. Collection nouns as a derivational category in Spanish 28
  7. Chapter 3. Lexical reduplication in Spanish and Italian 57
  8. Part 3. Phrase-level constructions
  9. Chapter 4. A constructional approach to causative support verbs in Spanish 78
  10. Chapter 5. From idioms to semi-schematic constructions and vice versa 103
  11. Chapter 6. The construction [ a TODO N sg ] in Spanish 129
  12. Part 4. Abstract and schematic constructions
  13. Chapter 7. On deconstructing mood 156
  14. Chapter 8. Quotative que constructions in Spanish 193
  15. Chapter 9. Que conste/sepas and como si constructions in Spanish 224
  16. Chapter 10. A constructional analysis of digo yo in peninsular Spanish 255
  17. Part 5. Extending the scope of constructionist research on Spanish
  18. Chapter 11. From he aquí to aquí está 280
  19. Chapter 12. On the role of verb-particle constructions in Old Spanish 309
  20. Chapter 13. What can collaboratively produced lists tell us about constructions? 340
  21. Chapter 14. Construction grammar and foreign language learning (L3) 375
  22. Subject index 405
  23. Construction index 408
https://doi.org/10.1075/cal.34.10mar

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Part 1. Introduction
  4. Chapter 1. Construction Grammar meets Hispanic linguistics 2
  5. Part 2. Comparative word-formation constructions
  6. Chapter 2. Collection nouns as a derivational category in Spanish 28
  7. Chapter 3. Lexical reduplication in Spanish and Italian 57
  8. Part 3. Phrase-level constructions
  9. Chapter 4. A constructional approach to causative support verbs in Spanish 78
  10. Chapter 5. From idioms to semi-schematic constructions and vice versa 103
  11. Chapter 6. The construction [ a TODO N sg ] in Spanish 129
  12. Part 4. Abstract and schematic constructions
  13. Chapter 7. On deconstructing mood 156
  14. Chapter 8. Quotative que constructions in Spanish 193
  15. Chapter 9. Que conste/sepas and como si constructions in Spanish 224
  16. Chapter 10. A constructional analysis of digo yo in peninsular Spanish 255
  17. Part 5. Extending the scope of constructionist research on Spanish
  18. Chapter 11. From he aquí to aquí está 280
  19. Chapter 12. On the role of verb-particle constructions in Old Spanish 309
  20. Chapter 13. What can collaboratively produced lists tell us about constructions? 340
  21. Chapter 14. Construction grammar and foreign language learning (L3) 375
  22. Subject index 405
  23. Construction index 408
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