(And yet) another proposal for ser/estar
-
M. Eugenia Mangialavori Rasia
Abstract
This paper puts forward an l-syntactic account of non-trivially alternating copulas ser/estar building on incorporation of a prepositional head (p*). I propose that p* is to be seen as a locus of encoding and variation of the relevant properties whereby ser/estar diverge, but also as the element constraining selection and interpretation of the predicate.
First, I use the distinction between telicity and boundedness as a starting point for developing a reformulation of the Hale-and-Keyserian analysis of ser/estar that supports a new typology of p heads within the Central Coincidence domain. This is important to capture wider sets of corpus and analytic data, but also in order to reflect an adequate division of work between verbal (Aktionsart) and constructional aspect. Then, I propose a novel implementation based on p-conflation and Hyponym Argument Relations. If correct, the analysis handles different facts and at the same time positions ser/estar into a much ampler frame.
Abstract
This paper puts forward an l-syntactic account of non-trivially alternating copulas ser/estar building on incorporation of a prepositional head (p*). I propose that p* is to be seen as a locus of encoding and variation of the relevant properties whereby ser/estar diverge, but also as the element constraining selection and interpretation of the predicate.
First, I use the distinction between telicity and boundedness as a starting point for developing a reformulation of the Hale-and-Keyserian analysis of ser/estar that supports a new typology of p heads within the Central Coincidence domain. This is important to capture wider sets of corpus and analytic data, but also in order to reflect an adequate division of work between verbal (Aktionsart) and constructional aspect. Then, I propose a novel implementation based on p-conflation and Hyponym Argument Relations. If correct, the analysis handles different facts and at the same time positions ser/estar into a much ampler frame.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- The spurious vs. dative problem 5
- Givenness and the difference between wh -fronted and wh -in-situ questions in Spanish 21
- The building blocks of Catalan ‘at least’ 41
- On ben in Trentino regional Italian 55
- Matrix complementisers and ‘speech act’ syntax 75
- External possession in Brazilian Portuguese 95
- Spanish adjectives are PathPs 111
- Additive and aspectual anche in Old Italian 127
- The acquisition of variation 143
- Exploring sociolinguistic discontinuity in a minority variety of French 159
- (And yet) another proposal for ser/estar 177
- Spanish estarse is not only agentive, but also inchoative 209
- From completely free to complete freedom 225
- Romanian dependent numerals as ratios 245
- For an overt movement analysis of comparison at a distance in French 259
- The role of L2 exposure in L3A 279
- European Portuguese focalizing SER ‘to be’ 297
- Occitan, verb second and the Medieval Romance word order debate 315
- Language index 337
- Subject index 339
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- The spurious vs. dative problem 5
- Givenness and the difference between wh -fronted and wh -in-situ questions in Spanish 21
- The building blocks of Catalan ‘at least’ 41
- On ben in Trentino regional Italian 55
- Matrix complementisers and ‘speech act’ syntax 75
- External possession in Brazilian Portuguese 95
- Spanish adjectives are PathPs 111
- Additive and aspectual anche in Old Italian 127
- The acquisition of variation 143
- Exploring sociolinguistic discontinuity in a minority variety of French 159
- (And yet) another proposal for ser/estar 177
- Spanish estarse is not only agentive, but also inchoative 209
- From completely free to complete freedom 225
- Romanian dependent numerals as ratios 245
- For an overt movement analysis of comparison at a distance in French 259
- The role of L2 exposure in L3A 279
- European Portuguese focalizing SER ‘to be’ 297
- Occitan, verb second and the Medieval Romance word order debate 315
- Language index 337
- Subject index 339
