Chapter 6. The dative experiencer of Spanish gustar
-
Chantal Melis
Abstract
This paper focuses on the dative experiencer of Spanish gustar ‘to please, like’, which replaced an older nominative experiencer. The syntactic shift calls for attention since it goes against the well-established diachronic tendency for oblique arguments to be eliminated in favor of nominative subjects (cf. English like). We find a partial explanation in the existence of a dative marking pattern on which gustar could model its behavior and try to identify the semantic and pragmatic factors that played a role in motivating the extension of the non-nominative experiencer to gustar. Our analysis confirms that lexical items retain traces of their source meaning which continue to shape subsequent developments, and that specific discourse contexts are instrumental in generating processes of change.1
Abstract
This paper focuses on the dative experiencer of Spanish gustar ‘to please, like’, which replaced an older nominative experiencer. The syntactic shift calls for attention since it goes against the well-established diachronic tendency for oblique arguments to be eliminated in favor of nominative subjects (cf. English like). We find a partial explanation in the existence of a dative marking pattern on which gustar could model its behavior and try to identify the semantic and pragmatic factors that played a role in motivating the extension of the non-nominative experiencer to gustar. Our analysis confirms that lexical items retain traces of their source meaning which continue to shape subsequent developments, and that specific discourse contexts are instrumental in generating processes of change.1
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Some introductory reflections 1
- Chapter 2. Velar allomorphy in Ibero-Romance 13
- Chapter 3. The history of concatenative compounds in Spanish 47
- Chapter 4. Intersubjectification and textual emphasis in the use of definite article + proper name in Spanish 75
- Chapter 5. Stylistic fronting in Old Spanish texts 99
- Chapter 6. The dative experiencer of Spanish gustar 123
- Chapter 7. Postverbal subjects of unaccusative verbs in the history of Portuguese 149
- Chapter 8. On the position of overt subjects in infinitival clauses in Spanish and Portuguese 173
- Chapter 9. Allative to purposive grammaticalisation 195
- Chapter 10. Recurrent processes in the evolution of concessive subordinators in Spanish and Catalan 223
- Chapter 11. Si as a Q-particle in Old Spanish 249
- Chapter 12. Realmente , verdaderamente and ciertamente 275
- Chapter 13. Variation and the use of discourse markers in 16th-century Spanish 303
- Chapter 14. Studying Ibero-Romance before 1200 325
- Index 337
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Some introductory reflections 1
- Chapter 2. Velar allomorphy in Ibero-Romance 13
- Chapter 3. The history of concatenative compounds in Spanish 47
- Chapter 4. Intersubjectification and textual emphasis in the use of definite article + proper name in Spanish 75
- Chapter 5. Stylistic fronting in Old Spanish texts 99
- Chapter 6. The dative experiencer of Spanish gustar 123
- Chapter 7. Postverbal subjects of unaccusative verbs in the history of Portuguese 149
- Chapter 8. On the position of overt subjects in infinitival clauses in Spanish and Portuguese 173
- Chapter 9. Allative to purposive grammaticalisation 195
- Chapter 10. Recurrent processes in the evolution of concessive subordinators in Spanish and Catalan 223
- Chapter 11. Si as a Q-particle in Old Spanish 249
- Chapter 12. Realmente , verdaderamente and ciertamente 275
- Chapter 13. Variation and the use of discourse markers in 16th-century Spanish 303
- Chapter 14. Studying Ibero-Romance before 1200 325
- Index 337
