1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Review of Cognitive Linguistics. Published under the auspices of the Spanish Cognitive Linguistics Association
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Forces behind the scene
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This paper offers a semantic account of mood choice in non-subordinate subjunctive clauses, excluding those where the subjunctive is licensed by overt markers (e.g., ‘Perhaps’, ‘I hope’/‘If only’). The analysis is based on the model proposed in García Yanes (2022; 2025b), which has emerged as a compelling alternative to epistemic, truth-conditional, and pragmatic accounts of mood. From this perspective, the use of the subjunctive in these clauses is understood as a result of their profiling of a goal process within a force dynamics pattern, described from the antagonist’s perspective, as required by the model. Their different interpretations — as directives, optatives, or emotional-evaluatives — are, in turn, explained by their association with different types of force-dynamic patterns — sociophysical, volitive-epistemic, and emotional-attitudinal, respectively — a distinction that also underlies the categorization of nominal clauses proposed in my earlier work.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00240.gar
2025-10-28
2025-11-14

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00240.gar
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Ahern, A.
    (2008) El subjuntivo: contextos y efectos. Madrid: Arco/Libros.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Aikhenvald, A. Y.
    (2010) Imperatives and commands. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Alarcos Llorach, E.
    (1994) Gramática de la lengua española. Madrid: Espasa Calpe.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Alcina Franch, J. & Blecua, J. M.
    (1975) Gramática española. Barcelona: Ariel.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bello, A.
    (1981 [1847]) Gramática de la lengua castellana destinada al uso de los americanos. Ed.Ramón Trujillo. Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Instituto Universitario de Lingüística Andrés Bello / Cabildo Insular de Tenerife.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Borrego Nieto, J., Gómez Asencio, J. & Prieto, E.
    (1992 [1985]) El subjuntivo: Valores y usos. Madrid: Sociedad General Española de Librería.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Bravo, A.
    (2017) Modalidad y verbos modales. Madrid: Arco/Libros.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Bybee, J., Perkins, R. & Pagliuca, W.
    (1994) The evolution of grammar. Tense, aspect, and modality in the languages of the world. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Dorta Luis, J.
    (1987) Modos y tiempos del verbo en la tradición gramatical hispánica: Desde Nebrija hasta Bello (1492–1860). La Laguna: Universidad de La Laguna Dissertation.
  10. Evans, N.
    (2007) Insubordination and its uses. InI. Nikolaeva (Ed.), Finiteness: Theoretical and empirical foundations (pp.–). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oso/9780199213733.003.0011 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199213733.003.0011 [Google Scholar]
  11. Evans, N., & Watanabe, H.
    (2016) Insubordination. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/tsl.115 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.115 [Google Scholar]
  12. Fernández Álvarez, J.
    (1984) El subjuntivo. Madrid: Edi-6.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. García Yanes, F. J.
    (2022) Force dynamics as the path to the Spanish subjunctive. Cognitive Linguistics, (), –. 10.1515/cog‑2021‑0130 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1515/cog-2021-0130 [Google Scholar]
  14. (2024) A semantic approach to mood variation: Habitual and factual clauses introduced by después (de) que. InM. J. Serrano & M. Á. Aijón Oliva (Eds.), Form and meaning: Studies of grammatical variation and communicative choice in Spanish (pp.–). Berlin: Peter Lang. 10.3726/b20762 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.3726/b20762 [Google Scholar]
  15. (2025a) El sistema de la dinámica de fuerzas como clave de la selección modal en las subordinadas finales en español. Verba: Anuario Galego de Filoloxía, . 10.15304/verba.52.8907 (accessed7 August 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.15304/verba.52.8907 [Google Scholar]
  16. (2025b) Debunking myths from a cognitive perspective: mood choice in subordinate clauses to emotive predicates. Review of Cognitive Linguistics. Advance online publication. 10.1075/rcl.00220.gar (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00220.gar [Google Scholar]
  17. Garrido Medina, J.
    (1999) Los actos de habla. Las oraciones imperativas. InI. Bosque & V. Demonte (Eds.), Gramática descriptiva de la lengua española — Vol. 3: Entre la oración y el discurso. Morfología (pp.–). Madrid: Espasa.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Gili Gaya, S.
    (1980 [1943]) Curso superior de sintaxis española, 13th ed. Barcelona: VOX.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Grande Alija, F. J.
    (2002) Aproximación a las modalidades enunciativas. León: Universidad de León.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. (2016) Imperativo, subjuntivo y el espacio desiderativo-apelativo. Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación, , –. 10.5209/CLAC.53482 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.5209/CLAC.53482 [Google Scholar]
  21. Gras, P.
    (2011) Gramática de construcciones en interacción. Propuesta de un modelo y aplicación al análisis de estructuras independientes con marcas de subordinación en español. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona Dissertation.
  22. (2016) Chapter 5. Revisiting the functional typology of insubordination. Insubordinate que-constructions in Spanish. InN. Evans & H. Watanabe (Eds.), Insubordination (pp.–). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/tsl.115.05gra (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.115.05gra [Google Scholar]
  23. Guitart, J. M.
    (1984) Syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of mood in Spanish noun clauses. Hispanic Journal, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. (1991) The pragmatics of Spanish mood in complements of knowledge and acquisition-of-knowledge predicates. InS. Fleischman & L. R. Waugh (Eds.), Discourse pragmatics and the verb: The evidence from Romance (pp.–). New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Haverkate, H.
    (2002) The syntax, semantics and pragmatics of Spanish mood. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.96 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.96 [Google Scholar]
  26. Hernández Alonso, C.
    (1996 [1984]) Gramática funcional del español, 3rd ed. Madrid: Gredos.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Hummel, M.
    (2004 [2001]) El valor básico del subjuntivo español y románico. Cáceres: Universidad de Extremadura.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Jary, M.
    (2002) Mood in relevance theory: A re-analysis focusing on the Spanish subjunctive. UCL Working Papers in Linguistics, , –.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Johnson, M.
    (1987) The body in the mind: the bodily basis of meaning, reason, and imagination. Chicago: Chicago University Press. 10.7208/chicago/9780226177847.001.0001 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226177847.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  30. Klein, F.
    (1975) Pragmatic constraints on distribution: The Spanish subjunctive. Papers from the Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, , –.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Kratochvílová, D.
    (2023) The Spanish subjunctive and grounding: A cognitive approach to the cante paradigm. Review of Cognitive Linguistic, (), –. 10.1075/rcl.00160.kra (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00160.kra [Google Scholar]
  32. Langacker, R. W.
    (1991) Foundations of cognitive grammar — Vol. 2: Descriptive application. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. (2008) Cognitive grammar: A basic introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331967.001.0001 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331967.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  34. Lavandera, B. R.
    (1983) Shifting moods in Spanish discourse. InF. Klein-Andreu (Ed.), Discourse perspectives on syntax (pp.–). New York: Academic Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Lunn, P. V.
    (1989a) The Spanish subjunctive and ‘relevance’. InC. Kirschner & J. A. DeCesaris (Eds.), Studies in Romance linguistics (pp.–). Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/cilt.60.16lun (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.60.16lun [Google Scholar]
  36. (1989b) Spanish mood and the prototype of assertability. Linguistics, (), –. 10.1515/ling.1989.27.4.687 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.1989.27.4.687 [Google Scholar]
  37. (1995) The evaluative function of the Spanish subjunctive. InJ. Bybee & S. Fleischman (Eds.), Modality in grammar and discourse (pp.–). Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/tsl.32.18lun (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.32.18lun [Google Scholar]
  38. Mansilla García, M.
    (1972) Análisis contrastivo de los usos del subjuntivo en la oración independiente en español y en inglés. Español Actual, , –.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Martinell, E.
    (1985) El subjuntivo. Madrid: Coloquio.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Matte Bon, F.
    (2008 [2001]) El subjuntivo español como operador metalingüístico de gestión de la información. MarcoELE, Revista de Didáctica ELE, , –.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Mejías-Bikandi, E.
    (1994) Assertion and speaker’s intention: A pragmatically based account of mood in Spanish. Hispania, (), –. 10.2307/345752 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.2307/345752 [Google Scholar]
  42. (1998) Pragmatic presupposition and old information in the use of the subjunctive mood in Spanish. Hispania, (), –. 10.2307/345807 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.2307/345807 [Google Scholar]
  43. (2014) A cognitive account of mood in complements of causative predicates in Spanish. Hispania, (), –. 10.1353/hpn.2014.0111 (accessed9 October 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1353/hpn.2014.0111 [Google Scholar]
  44. Moliner, M.
    (1992) Diccionario de uso del español. Gredos, Madrid.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Navas Ruiz, R.
    (1986) El subjuntivo castellano. Salamanca: Publicaciones del colegio de España.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Pérez Fernández, S., Gras, P., & Brisard, F.
    (2022) Insubordination and lectal variation: Geographic and discoursive variation of subjunctive complement constructions in Spanish. Ampersand, , . 10.1016/j.amper.2022.100092 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2022.100092 [Google Scholar]
  47. Pons Bordería, S.
    (2003) Que inicial átono como marca de modalidad. Estudios de Lingüística. Universidad de Alicante, , –. 10.14198/ELUA2003.17.29 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.14198/ELUA2003.17.29 [Google Scholar]
  48. Porto Dapena, J. Á.
    (1991) Del indicativo al subjuntivo. Madrid: Arco/Libros.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Prohl, T. & Radatz, H. I.
    (2019) Las construcciones subjuntivas en español: del subjuntivo modal al subjuntivo sintáctico. Paper presented atthe XXII Congreso de la Asociación Alemana de Hispanistas, Berlin, Germany.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Radatz, H. I.
    (to appear). From subjunctives to imperatives. The Romance Subjunctive Schema and its ramifications. InJ. Antolí & S. Rodríguez Eds. The grammar of interaction: Diachrony and synchrony. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. [Preprint available athttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/389564088_From_subjunctives_to_imperatives_The_Romance_Subjunctive_Schema_and_its_Ramifications] (accessed11 June 2025).
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Ramsey, M. M.
    (1894) A text-book of modern Spanish, 3rd ed. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. RAE = Real Academia Española
    RAE = Real Academia Española (1982 [1973]) Esbozo de una nueva gramática de la lengua española. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. RAE = Real Academia Española
    RAE = Real Academia Española (2024) Banco de datos (CORPES XXI) [online], version 1.2. Corpus del Español del Siglo XXI (CORPES). https://www.rae.es/banco-de-datos/corpes-xxi (accessed11 June 2025).
     [Google Scholar]
  54. RAE = Real Academia Española and Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española
    RAE = Real Academia Española and Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2009) Nueva gramática de la lengua española. Madrid: Espasa.
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Ruiz Campillo, J. P.
    (2008) El valor central del subjuntivo: ¿Informatividad o declaratividad?MarcoELE, Revista de Didáctica ELE, , –.
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Sánchez López, C.
    (2015) Dos tipos de oraciones exclamativas totales en español. InJ. A. Martínez García (Eds.), Studium grammaticae: Homenaje al profesor José A. Martínez (pp.–). Oviedo: Ediciones de la Universidad de Oviedo.
     [Google Scholar]
  57. (2017) Optative exclamatives in Spanish. InI. Bosque (Ed.), Advances in the analysis of Spanish exclamatives (pp.–). Ohio: Ohio State University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Sansiñena, M. S.
    (2017) Eliciting evidence of functional differences. The imperative versus free-standing que-clauses in Spanish. InD. Van Olmen & S. Heinold (Eds.), Imperatives and directive strategies (pp.–). Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/slcs.184.09san (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.184.09san [Google Scholar]
  59. Sansiñena, M. S., De Smet, H., & Cornillie, B.
    (2015a) Displaced directives: Subjunctive free-standing que-clauses vs. imperatives in Spanish. Folia Linguistica, (), –. 10.1515/flin‑2015‑0008 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1515/flin-2015-0008 [Google Scholar]
  60. (2015b) Between subordinate and insubordinate. Paths toward complementizer-initial main clauses. Journal of Pragmatics, , –. 10.1016/j.pragma.2014.12.004 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.12.004 [Google Scholar]
  61. Silva-Corvalán, C.
    (2001) Sociolingüística y pragmática del español. Washington, D. C.: Georgetown University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  62. Spaulding, R. K.
    (1934) Two elliptical subjunctives in Spanish. Hispania, (), –. 10.2307/332784 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.2307/332784 [Google Scholar]
  63. Sweetser, E. E.
    (1982) Root and epistemic modals: Causality in two worlds. InProceedings of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (pp.–). Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Linguistics Society. 10.3765/bls.v8i0.2049 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.3765/bls.v8i0.2049 [Google Scholar]
  64. Takahashi, H.
    (2012) A cognitive linguistic analysis of the English imperative. With special reference to Japanese imperatives. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.35 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.35 [Google Scholar]
  65. Talmy, L.
    (2000) Toward a cognitive semantics — Vol. 1: Concept structuring systems. Massachusetts: MIT Press. 10.7551/mitpress/6847.001.0001 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/6847.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  66. Terrell, T. & Hooper, J.
    (1974) A semantically based analysis of mood in Spanish. Hispania, (), –. 10.2307/339187 (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.2307/339187 [Google Scholar]
  67. Van der Auwera, J., & Lejeune, L. (with Goussev, V.
    ) (2013) The prohibitive. InM. S. Dryer & M. Haspelmath (Eds.), WALS Online (v2020.3) [Data set]. Zenodo. 10.5281/zenodo.7385533 (Available online atwals.info/chapter/71) (accessed11 June 2025).
     https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7385533 [Google Scholar]
  68. Verhagen, A.
    (2005) Constructions of intersubjectivity. Discourse, syntax, and cognition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  69. Zamorano Aguilar, A.
    (2001) Gramaticografía de los modos del verbo en español. Córdoba: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Córdoba.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00240.gar
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: Spanish mood ; independent ; force dynamics ; insubordinate ; subjunctive ; subjectivization

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error