New Perspectives on the Study of Ser and E star

Editors

Isabel Pérez-Jiménez | University of Alcalá

Manuel Leonetti | University of Alcalá

Silvia Gumiel-Molina | University of Alcalá

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027258045 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027268136 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

This is the first book entirely and exclusively devoted to the grammar of the two copular verbs ser and estar, certainly one of the most intriguing features of Spanish grammar. Although the topic has long attracted the interest of scholars, it had never given rise to a collection of papers that covers both theoretical issues in syntax and semantics and topics in the acquisition domain. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the central research questions concerning the ser / estar alternation: the syntactic or semantic nature of the distinction, its link with aspect and with the Individual-Level / Stage-Level distinction, and its connection with interface phenomena. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Hispanic linguistics, but can be equally attractive for researchers working on Romance linguistics, theoretical linguistics (syntax, semantics, pragmatics), acquisition theory, and historical linguistics.

[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 5] 2015. vi, 326 pp.

Publishing status: Available
Published online on 9 October 2015

https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.5

Table of Contents

Ser and estar: Outstanding questions

Manuel Leonetti, Isabel Pérez-Jiménez and Silvia Gumiel-Molina | pp. 1–20

Ser and estar and aspect

More than a copula: complex predicates with estar and the clitic se

Luis García Fernández and Diana Gómez Vázquez | pp. 23–50

Ser, estar and two different modifiers

Juan Romeu | pp. 51–84

Sentences as predicates: the Spanish construction ser <muy de + infinitive>

María Jesús Fernández Leborans and Cristina Sánchez López | pp. 85–116

Ser and estar beyond aspect

The inference of temporal persistence and the individual/stage level distinction: the case of ser vs. estar in Spanish

Silvia Gumiel-Molina, Norberto Moreno-Quibén and Isabel Pérez-Jiménez | pp. 119–146

Location and the estar/ser alternation

Karen Zagona | pp. 147–172

What do Spanish copulas have in common with Tibetan evidentials?

José Camacho | pp. 173–202

On word order in Spanish copular sentences

Manuel Leonetti | pp. 203–236

The extension and loss of copulas

Origins and development of adjectival passives in Spanish: a corpus study

Cristina Marco and Rafael Marín | pp. 239–266

Eventive and stative passives and copula selection in Canadian and American Heritage Speaker Spanish

Elena Valenzuela, Michael Iverson, Jason Rothman, Kristina Borg, Diego Pascual y Cabo and Manuela Pinto | pp. 267–292

The development and use of the Spanish copula with adjectives by Korean-speaking learners

Kimberly L. Geeslin and Avizia Long | pp. 293–324

Index | pp. 325–326

“This volume presents a comprehensive and up-to-date survey on the topics involved in the distinction between the copulas ser and estar in Spanish. The analyses and proposals contained in its contributions shed light upon one of the most characteristic features of Iberian languages and make this book a must for every researcher interested in the lexical, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic factors of attributive sentences.”

José María Brucart – Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

“Understanding how language works implies an integrated comprehension of how the different modules of grammar interact. The analysis of ser/estar alternation in Spanish and Portuguese implies taking into account the complex lexical, syntactic and semantic aspects determining the origin, acquisition and use of this alternation. The study of ser/estar is a perfect window into the interfaces between grammar components, and the papers in this volume are an impressive contribution for a more complete description of ser/estar and its consequences for the theory of grammar.”

João Costa – FCSH/Nova

“This very well-conceived book provides new empirical insights into and state-of-the-art theoretical discussion of almost all of the central questions surrounding the classic topic of the ser/estar distinction in Spanish. Its breadth of coverage -- including not only syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, but also diachronic and acquisition studies -- and the richness of theoretical approaches represented will make it a lasting reference for researchers and advanced students.”

Violeta Demonte - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

“This timely collection of articles on the Spanish copulative verbs brings together competing analyses on the basis of aspectual, pragmatic, evidential and discourse factors that impinge on the ser/estar distinction. It also includes newly uncovered facts drawn from L2 acquisition. A truly must read for Hispanic and Romance specialists.”

Marta Luján - University of Texas at Austin

“If every language, as suggested by Edward Sapir, has its own ‘genius’, the distinction between ser and estar in Spanish is a substantial part of the grammatical spirit of this language. This collective volume proposes an up-to-date and pluralistic approach to an old and complex problem offered by a selection of prominent specialists in Spanish syntax and semantics. Although some (necessary) background is presented, most contributions focus on providing new insights and new data in order to explain the nature of the distribution of ser and estar in Spanish.”

José-Luis Mendívil-Giró - Universidad de Zaragoza

“This book also provides important insights on the articulation of grammar and the relevance of interface approaches, especially the syntax/semantics interface and the semantics/interface. It will also be extremely useful to scholars working with copulas in the Romance languages and beyond, especially those interested in comparative and contrastive approaches.”

Javier Gutiérrez-Rexach, in Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, February 2017

Cited by (5)

Cited by five other publications

Order by:

Escandell-Vidal, M. Victoria

2023. Estar+ILP. Spanish in Context 20:2 ► pp. 257 ff.

Gumiel-Molina, Silvia & Isabel Pérez-Jiménez

2023. Introduction. Spanish in Context 20:2 ► pp. 251 ff.

Romeu, Juan

2017. Grammatical categories at the Lexicon-Syntax-Semantics interface. In Boundaries, phases, and interfaces [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 239], ► pp. 325 ff.

Zagona, Karen & Heles Contreras

2017. Spanish participial adjectives and individual-level/stage-level interpretations in nominals. In Boundaries, phases, and interfaces [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 239], ► pp. 279 ff.

Zagona, Karen & Heles Contreras

2019. Classifier Phrase as Host for Stage-Level Spanish Adnominal Participial Adjectives. In Contributions of Romance Languages to Current Linguistic Theory [Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, 95], ► pp. 13 ff.

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 6 january 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Subjects