Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish
This study investigates the expression of predicative possession in Argentinian Spanish, focusing on the alternation between two constructions: tener (‘have’) + NP and estar con (‘be with’) + NP. Building on previous research, we explore the factors that determine speakers’ choices between these co...
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Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Isogloss |
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| Online Access: | https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/502 |
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| author | Martin Fuchs Kendra Dickinson Scott Schwenter |
| author_facet | Martin Fuchs Kendra Dickinson Scott Schwenter |
| author_sort | Martin Fuchs |
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This study investigates the expression of predicative possession in Argentinian Spanish, focusing on the alternation between two constructions: tener (‘have’) + NP and estar con (‘be with’) + NP. Building on previous research, we explore the factors that determine speakers’ choices between these constructions, particularly the influence of temporal context and the presence of adverbs. Using a forced-choice experimental design, participants were presented with vignettes varying in temporal duration (durative vs. non-durative) and adverbial modification (extending, limiting, or none). Results show a strong overall preference for the tener + NP construction, particularly in durative contexts. However, the estar con + NP construction is more likely to be selected in non-durative contexts, especially when a limiting adverb is present. These findings suggest that the distinction between the two constructions is not purely semantic but also pragmatically modulated by temporal and contextual factors. We argue that this pattern reflects a subset-superset relationship between the two constructions, where tener + NP can cover a broader temporal scope than estar con + NP. This overlap mirrors cross-linguistic findings on possessive constructions and aspectual distinctions, with implications for understanding grammaticalization processes in Romance languages.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4ca76d06f2554fe0a37bd2605c9983f9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2385-4138 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Isogloss |
| spelling | doaj-art-4ca76d06f2554fe0a37bd2605c9983f92025-08-20T03:30:20ZengUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaIsogloss2385-41382025-07-0111510.5565/rev/isogloss.502Predicative possession choice in Argentinian SpanishMartin Fuchs0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6862-8422Kendra Dickinson1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2229-4017Scott Schwenter2https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3266-9556Freie Universität BerlinRutgers UniversityThe Ohio State University This study investigates the expression of predicative possession in Argentinian Spanish, focusing on the alternation between two constructions: tener (‘have’) + NP and estar con (‘be with’) + NP. Building on previous research, we explore the factors that determine speakers’ choices between these constructions, particularly the influence of temporal context and the presence of adverbs. Using a forced-choice experimental design, participants were presented with vignettes varying in temporal duration (durative vs. non-durative) and adverbial modification (extending, limiting, or none). Results show a strong overall preference for the tener + NP construction, particularly in durative contexts. However, the estar con + NP construction is more likely to be selected in non-durative contexts, especially when a limiting adverb is present. These findings suggest that the distinction between the two constructions is not purely semantic but also pragmatically modulated by temporal and contextual factors. We argue that this pattern reflects a subset-superset relationship between the two constructions, where tener + NP can cover a broader temporal scope than estar con + NP. This overlap mirrors cross-linguistic findings on possessive constructions and aspectual distinctions, with implications for understanding grammaticalization processes in Romance languages. https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/502possessionSpanishaspectgrammaticalization |
| spellingShingle | Martin Fuchs Kendra Dickinson Scott Schwenter Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish Isogloss possession Spanish aspect grammaticalization |
| title | Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish |
| title_full | Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish |
| title_fullStr | Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish |
| title_short | Predicative possession choice in Argentinian Spanish |
| title_sort | predicative possession choice in argentinian spanish |
| topic | possession Spanish aspect grammaticalization |
| url | https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/502 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT martinfuchs predicativepossessionchoiceinargentinianspanish AT kendradickinson predicativepossessionchoiceinargentinianspanish AT scottschwenter predicativepossessionchoiceinargentinianspanish |