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The ‘Noun Phrase’ across Languages: An emergent unit in interaction
Edited by Tsuyoshi Ono and Sandra A. Thompson
[Typological Studies in Language 128] 2020
► pp. 119–152

Chapter 6
Asserting no-problemness in Spanish

‘No hay (ningún) problema’ and the study of noun phrases in interaction

| University of Colorado, Boulder
| University of Colorado, Boulder

While much is known about noun phrases from morphosyntactic and typological perspectives, the study of nominal elements in interaction is just beginning. We contribute to this new area by exploring the interactional functions of the Spanish indefinite determiner ningún (‘any’, ‘no’) in the formula No hay (ningún) problema (‘there isn’t (any) problem’). We find that action and sequential environment are crucial in distinguishing between speakers’ uses of the noun phrases problema and ningún problema, with the determiner deployed to upgrade the assertion of no-problemness compared to the version without the determiner. We use our analysis of these particular formulae to offer a theoretical and methodological contribution to the study of noun phrases in interaction, focusing on the generalizability of findings.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.‘No hay problema’
  • 3.‘No hay ningún problema’
  • 4.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 July 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.128.06ray
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