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Chapter 12. On the role of verb-particle constructions in Old Spanish

Onomasiological networks and typological change
  • Evelyn Wiesinger
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Constructions in Spanish
This chapter is in the book Constructions in Spanish

Abstract

The present contribution investigates verb-particle constructions formed with atras ‘back(wards)’ in Old Spanish, against the background of the typological change from (mostly) satellite-framed patterns in Latin to the predominantly verb-framed strategies in the Romance languages. The study innovatively combines diachronic Construction Grammar with a functional-onomasiological perspective. This means that VPCs are studied relative to “competing” strategies of motion encoding such as instantiations of the prefix-construction [re-V] ‘V back’ and newly formed path verbs such as tornar/volver ‘turn/go back’.

The diachronic study shows that VPCs are in principle available at all language stages of Spanish. Moreover, the onomasiological perspective suggests that the observed “rise” of VPCs in Old Spanish could in fact be related to constructional micro-changes occurring among path verbs and instantiations of [re-V]. Within this network of functionally related constructions, VPCs prove to form a transparent and potentially expressive, mostly intransitive pattern to encode directed motion meanings.

Abstract

The present contribution investigates verb-particle constructions formed with atras ‘back(wards)’ in Old Spanish, against the background of the typological change from (mostly) satellite-framed patterns in Latin to the predominantly verb-framed strategies in the Romance languages. The study innovatively combines diachronic Construction Grammar with a functional-onomasiological perspective. This means that VPCs are studied relative to “competing” strategies of motion encoding such as instantiations of the prefix-construction [re-V] ‘V back’ and newly formed path verbs such as tornar/volver ‘turn/go back’.

The diachronic study shows that VPCs are in principle available at all language stages of Spanish. Moreover, the onomasiological perspective suggests that the observed “rise” of VPCs in Old Spanish could in fact be related to constructional micro-changes occurring among path verbs and instantiations of [re-V]. Within this network of functionally related constructions, VPCs prove to form a transparent and potentially expressive, mostly intransitive pattern to encode directed motion meanings.

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.34.12wie

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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