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Volume 22, Issue 3
  • ISSN 1571-0718
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Abstract

Abstract

In Spanish, the verbs and variably occur in durative temporal constructions, as in “” and “.” Despite occurring in functionally equivalent contexts, the distinct semantic origin of the verbs – encoding movement, direction, and causativity, and being a prototypical possession verb– makes these constructions an ideal locus to examine how the persistence of core semantic properties influence alternation in grammaticalizing constructions. Adopting a variationist approach, we analyzed internal and external factors affecting the use of 221 occurrences of temporal constructions in Mexican Spanish. Results reveal that + is favored in contexts associated with change and affectedness, whereas + is preferred in contexts associated with control and invariability. These findings suggest that despite semantic bleaching, the core semantic features of and persist, shaping the distribution of their corresponding durative constructions. This can be taken as further evidence for the grammaticalization of durative temporal constructions in Spanish.

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2025-12-10
2026-01-24

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Semantic persistence in Spanish temporal constructions
Spanish in Context 22, 657 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1075/sic.24006.bro
/content/journals/10.1075/sic.24006.bro
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): grammaticalization; linguistic change; persistence; semantic weight; sociolinguistics; Spanish verb constructions; subjectivity; temporal reference; variation

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