El sufijo -esco en español: evolución histórica, productividad morfológica y valores semánticos
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The article analyzes the Spanish derivational suffix -esco, focusing on its Latin origin, historical evolution, current morphological behavior, and the semantic and stylistic values it has developed. Combining diachronic description with theoretical analysis, it shows how -esco shifted from a learned relational suffix of Latin heritage to a marker with aesthetic, expressive, or literary nuances in contemporary Spanish. The study draws on its documentation in the Diccionario de la Lengua Española and works from the Nuevo Tesoro Lexicográfico de la Lengua Española, complemented by examples from the Diccionario histórico and the academic corpora CORDE, CREA, and CORPES XXI, as well as literary texts, social media, and current press. These sources illustrate its productivity and semantic connotations. Ultimately, the article interprets -esco as a hybrid morpheme—both relational and expressive—whose historical trajectory highlights the dynamism and flexibility characteristic of Spanish derivational morphology.
DOI: 10.5209/clac.109298
Author: Marisa Montero Curiel
Institution: Universidad de Extremadura
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225140230