The category of throw verbs as productive source of the Spanish inchoative construction
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Sven Van Hulle
Abstract
This study examines the productivity of the inchoative construction in Peninsular Spanish, and shows how throw verbs have gradually developed into aspectual auxiliaries. The first part reconstructs the semantic path through which verbs of throwing (e.g. echarse ‘to throw’, lanzar ‘to launch’ or disparar ‘to shoot’), as a subcategory of spatial expressions, entered into a process of grammaticalization and were integrated into the inchoative schema. It is shown that the semantic extension of a concrete towards an abstract goal, as well as the meaning of abruptness and the interruption of the inertia of an object, are key to understand the privileged link between throwing and starting. The second part looks into the behaviour of near-synonymous inchoative micro-constructions. It studies their variable degrees of productivity, semantic profiles and collocational behaviour. In short, this paper provides an overview of which throw verbs were reanalysed as aspectual inchoative auxiliaries, why and when this happened, and whether there are differences between related variants. As such, it contributes to a better understanding of the productive domain of verbal periphrases in Spanish.
Abstract
This study examines the productivity of the inchoative construction in Peninsular Spanish, and shows how throw verbs have gradually developed into aspectual auxiliaries. The first part reconstructs the semantic path through which verbs of throwing (e.g. echarse ‘to throw’, lanzar ‘to launch’ or disparar ‘to shoot’), as a subcategory of spatial expressions, entered into a process of grammaticalization and were integrated into the inchoative schema. It is shown that the semantic extension of a concrete towards an abstract goal, as well as the meaning of abruptness and the interruption of the inertia of an object, are key to understand the privileged link between throwing and starting. The second part looks into the behaviour of near-synonymous inchoative micro-constructions. It studies their variable degrees of productivity, semantic profiles and collocational behaviour. In short, this paper provides an overview of which throw verbs were reanalysed as aspectual inchoative auxiliaries, why and when this happened, and whether there are differences between related variants. As such, it contributes to a better understanding of the productive domain of verbal periphrases in Spanish.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Romance motion verbs in language change: New approaches and challenges 1
- Motion verbs in Romanian: Language contact and language renewal 23
- Where can we go with [aller/alé ‘go’ + verb] in hexagonal French, French spoken in Gabon and Guianese French Creole? 47
- A diachronic corpus study on the productivity of the French verb-serializing analytic [motion verb + main verb] pattern 85
- The French aller + infinitive construction in instructive discourses: New insights from video cooking shows 107
- “Andiamo a utilizzare il futuro analitico”: On the use of an unused form 135
- Pragmatic profile of a marginalised verbal periphrasis: Functional insights in the use of the Italian verbal periphrasis andare a + infinito in political discourses 157
- Semantic bleaching as an indicator of degrees of periphrasticity: An experimental approach 179
- The category of throw verbs as productive source of the Spanish inchoative construction 213
- (Anti-)Grammaticalization paths of Spanish venir ‘to come’ + past participle 241
- Venir + participle in Spanish: Semantic bleaching or meaning elaboration? 269
- Va y dice & Co.: Motion verbs as quotatives 287
- Going to surprise: The grammaticalization of itive as mirative 311
- Index 347
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Romance motion verbs in language change: New approaches and challenges 1
- Motion verbs in Romanian: Language contact and language renewal 23
- Where can we go with [aller/alé ‘go’ + verb] in hexagonal French, French spoken in Gabon and Guianese French Creole? 47
- A diachronic corpus study on the productivity of the French verb-serializing analytic [motion verb + main verb] pattern 85
- The French aller + infinitive construction in instructive discourses: New insights from video cooking shows 107
- “Andiamo a utilizzare il futuro analitico”: On the use of an unused form 135
- Pragmatic profile of a marginalised verbal periphrasis: Functional insights in the use of the Italian verbal periphrasis andare a + infinito in political discourses 157
- Semantic bleaching as an indicator of degrees of periphrasticity: An experimental approach 179
- The category of throw verbs as productive source of the Spanish inchoative construction 213
- (Anti-)Grammaticalization paths of Spanish venir ‘to come’ + past participle 241
- Venir + participle in Spanish: Semantic bleaching or meaning elaboration? 269
- Va y dice & Co.: Motion verbs as quotatives 287
- Going to surprise: The grammaticalization of itive as mirative 311
- Index 347
