Grammaticalization of prosodic configurations? The case of evidential interrogative in Spanish
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates how prosodic evidentials (i. e. evidential markers constituted solely by prosodic configurations, regardless of their lexical and grammatical content) can emerge and develop. This is exemplified by a type of interrogative intonation used to convey assertions presented as shared knowledge, a prosodic configuration that we call evidential interrogative . The conclusion drawn is that prosodic configurations marking evidential meaning develop analogously to lexical or morphological evidentials, thus undergoing a process comparable to grammaticalization (Traugott, 2003; Narrog and Heine, 2021). This entails a reconsideration of grammaticalization as a broader form of linguistic change, encompassing not only lexical items and constructions but also, for instance, prosodic configurations.
Source: Language Sciences
Author: Fernando Bermúdez
Institution: Uppsala University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,870
OpenAlex ID: W4404826050