Differences in continuity of force dynamics and emotional valence in sentences with causal and adversative connectives

Abstract

This research analyses the semantics of Spanish sentences with causal or adversative connectives using force dynamics, emotional valence and subjectivity parameters. Participants were given stimulus sentences, each followed by a connective, and were asked to generate meaningful continuation sentences. For each stimulus sentence, four versions were offered, differing only in the connective (two causal and two adversative). Participants' responses were encoded using a set of variables related to force dynamics, emotional valence, subjectivity, complexity and continuity. A discriminant analysis of the data found two main statistical functions. The Continuity-Discontinuity function (polarity) discriminated between causal and adversative sentences: force dynamics and emotional valences tended to be continuous in sentences linked by a causal connective and discontinuous in sentences with an adversative connective. The Internal-External function, orthogonal to continuity, discriminated between specific connectives: sentences with “porque” (because) and “aunque” (although) usually expressed internal or volitional events, and sentences with “puesto que” (given that) and “a pesar de que” (in spite of) were associated with external or factual social events.