On degree minimizers in Spanish
The goal of this paper is to provide both a description and an explanation of the combination of minimizers (ligeramente 'slightly') with gradable adjectives in Spanish. According to Kennedy & McNally (2005) these elements are degree items that are sensitive to the scalar structure of...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Septentrio Academic Publishing
2020-05-01
|
| Series: | Borealis: An International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://nopos.eu/index.php/borealis/article/view/5367 |
| _version_ | 1818522119991984128 |
|---|---|
| author | Isabel Pérez-Jiménez Silvia Gumiel-Molina Norberto Moreno-Quibén |
| author_facet | Isabel Pérez-Jiménez Silvia Gumiel-Molina Norberto Moreno-Quibén |
| author_sort | Isabel Pérez-Jiménez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The goal of this paper is to provide both a description and an explanation of the combination of minimizers (ligeramente 'slightly') with gradable adjectives in Spanish. According to Kennedy & McNally (2005) these elements are degree items that are sensitive to the scalar structure of adjectives and are combined with closed scale, minimum standard adjectives. Unexpected combinations, according to this semantics, are considered as cases of coercion. In this paper we propose that minimizers create derived adjectives. They are modifiers of the adjective's granularity, which allow the selection of the standard of comparison to take into account a greater number of degree distinctions. From this proposal, this article shows that unexpected combinations of ligeramente with gradable adjectives, such as un cine ligeramente lleno ‘a slightly crowded cinema’, can be explained without the need to propose that a coercion process takes place. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T05:29:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d480872fd5804aeb97a12d73cbc93568 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1893-3211 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T05:29:07Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Septentrio Academic Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Borealis: An International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d480872fd5804aeb97a12d73cbc935682022-12-22T01:19:30ZengSeptentrio Academic PublishingBorealis: An International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics1893-32112020-05-019110.7557/1.9.1.5367On degree minimizers in SpanishIsabel Pérez-Jiménez0Silvia Gumiel-Molina1Norberto Moreno-Quibén2Universidad de AlcaláUniversidad de AlcaláUniversidad de AlcaláThe goal of this paper is to provide both a description and an explanation of the combination of minimizers (ligeramente 'slightly') with gradable adjectives in Spanish. According to Kennedy & McNally (2005) these elements are degree items that are sensitive to the scalar structure of adjectives and are combined with closed scale, minimum standard adjectives. Unexpected combinations, according to this semantics, are considered as cases of coercion. In this paper we propose that minimizers create derived adjectives. They are modifiers of the adjective's granularity, which allow the selection of the standard of comparison to take into account a greater number of degree distinctions. From this proposal, this article shows that unexpected combinations of ligeramente with gradable adjectives, such as un cine ligeramente lleno ‘a slightly crowded cinema’, can be explained without the need to propose that a coercion process takes place.http://nopos.eu/index.php/borealis/article/view/5367degree modiifierminimizercoercioncopular verbcopulaecomparison class |
| spellingShingle | Isabel Pérez-Jiménez Silvia Gumiel-Molina Norberto Moreno-Quibén On degree minimizers in Spanish Borealis: An International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics degree modiifier minimizer coercion copular verb copulae comparison class |
| title | On degree minimizers in Spanish |
| title_full | On degree minimizers in Spanish |
| title_fullStr | On degree minimizers in Spanish |
| title_full_unstemmed | On degree minimizers in Spanish |
| title_short | On degree minimizers in Spanish |
| title_sort | on degree minimizers in spanish |
| topic | degree modiifier minimizer coercion copular verb copulae comparison class |
| url | http://nopos.eu/index.php/borealis/article/view/5367 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT isabelperezjimenez ondegreeminimizersinspanish AT silviagumielmolina ondegreeminimizersinspanish AT norbertomorenoquiben ondegreeminimizersinspanish |