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.

This book approaches the concept of boundary, central in linguistic theory, and the related notion of phase from the perspective of the interaction between syntax and its interfaces. A primary notion is that phases are the appropriate domains to explain most interface linguistic phenomena and that the study of (narrow) interfaces helps to understand conditions on the internal structure of the Language Faculty. The first part of this volume is dedicated to introducing the notion of boundary, cycle and phase, and also the current debates regarding internal interfaces, in particular, the syntax-phonology, syntax-semantics, syntax-discourse, syntax-morphology and syntax-lexicon interfaces, in order to show how the notion of boundary/phase is related to (or even determines) most of their characteristics. The four sections of the second part deal with (morpho)phonology/ syntax and the role or boundaries/phases; the syntax-discourse and syntax-semantics interface; and the lexicon-syntax interface, while the notion of boundary/phase cross-cuts the main topics addressed.

Lingüística cognitiva y español LE/L2 constituye una valiosa aportación al estudio de la adquisición y la enseñanza del español LE/L2 desde la perspectiva teórica de la lingüística cognitiva. Se trata de la primera obra escrita en español en la que se ofrece una introducción a la lingüística cognitiva y su aplicación didáctica a la enseñanza del español LE/L2 desde una óptica internacional. Combina una orientación teórico-práctica que incluye diferentes estudios empíricos con pautas para ayudar a los profesores de español a integrar la lingüística cognitiva en la enseñanza de la lengua. Características principales: Una estructura homogénea y facilitadora de la lectura de los distintos capítulos que sirve para integrar contenidos lingüísticos y gramaticales desde un punto de vista cognitivo; Cuestiones clave en la enseñanza del español LE/L2 desde la óptica de la lingüística cognitiva: aspectos controvertidos de gramática, el desarrollo de la competencia metafórica, el aprendizaje del léxico, la influencia de la lengua materna, el foco en la forma, el uso de la traducción pedagógica; Pautas y sugerencias para aplicar la lingüística cognitiva en la enseñanza de la lengua, así como futuras vías de investigación; Una selección de imágenes, gráficos e ilustraciones para facilitar la comprensión de los temas y conceptos que se abordan en el volumen; Un glosario bilingüe (español e inglés) de términos clave para que cualquier lector pueda familiarizarse con los conceptos fundamentales de la lingüística cognitiva. Escrito en español, de manera clara y accesible, y con abundantes ejemplos, Lingüística cognitiva y español LE/L2 es una obra de referencia para docentes de español como LE/L2, estudiantes graduados y formadores de profesores, así como para cualquier persona que desee adquirir una perspectiva actual sobre las principales aportaciones teóricas y prácticas de la lingüística cognitiva a la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas.

The topic of secondary predication has attracted much attention especially in the generative literature. The present volume distinguishes itself from previous volumes on this topic in that all chapters discuss current issues in the syntax and semantics of secondary predication in the languages of Europe (including the Indo-European languages English, Dutch, French, and Spanish, as well as Hungarian, a Finno-Ugric language) and the languages of Asia (including Japanese, Chinese, and Korean) from formal linguistic perspectives. This book brings to light important new results in and directions for research on secondary predication.

This volume offers theoretically informed surveys of topics that have figured prominently in morphosyntactic and syntactic research into Romance languages and dialects. We define syntax as being the linguistic component that assembles linguistic units, such as roots or functional morphemes, into grammatical sentences, and morphosyntax as being an umbrella term for all morphological relations between these linguistic units, which either trigger morphological marking (e.g. explicit case morphemes) or are related to ordering issues (e.g. subjects precede finite verbs whenever there is number agreement between them). All 24 chapters adopt a comparative perspective on these two fields of research, highlighting cross-linguistic grammatical similarities and differences within the Romance language family. In addition, many chapters address issues related to variation observable within individual Romance languages, and grammatical change from Latin to Romance.

The Spanish language is spoken by an estimated 477 million people worldwide. This volume focuses on the contact between Spanish and other language varieties, including Catalan, Portuguese and Galician in the Spanish Peninsula. The book explores the characteristics of such language contact situations from structural, developmental, societal and cognitive perspectives.

The scholarly articles included in this volume represent significant contributions to the fields of formal and descriptive syntax, conversational analysis and speech act theory, as well as language development and bilingualism. Taken together, these studies adopt a variety of methodological techniques—ranging from grammaticality judgments to corpus-based analysis to experimental approaches—to offer rich insights into different aspects of Ibero-Romance grammar. The volume consists of three parts, organized in accordance with the topics treated in the chapters they comprise. Part I focuses on structural patterns, Part II analyzes pragmatic ones, and Part III investigates the acquisition of linguistic aspects found in the speech of L1, L2 and heritage speakers. The authors address these issues by relying on empirically rooted linguistic approaches to data collection, which are coupled with current theoretical assumptions on the nature of sentence structure, discourse dynamics and language acquisition. The volume will be of interest to anyone researching or studying Hispanic and Ibero-Romance linguistics.

The Routledge Handbook of Spanish Pragmatics is the first volume to offer a comprehensive overview of advances in Spanish Pragmatics, addressing different types of interaction and the variables, both social and linguistic, that can affect them. Written by a diverse set of experts in the field, the handbook unifies two major approaches to the study of pragmatics, the Anglo-American and European Continental traditions. Thirty-three chapters cover in detail both pragmatic foundations (e.g. speech act theory, implicature and relevance, deixis) and interfaces with other concepts, including: • Discourse • Variation; Culture and interculture • (Im)politeness; humor • Learning contexts and teaching • Technology This is an ideal reference for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, and researchers of Spanish language and linguistics.

This volume offers an introduction to the field of second language acquisition with a particular focus on second language Spanish. It connects key issues in the acquisition of Spanish as a second language to theoretical and empirical issues in the field of second language acquisition more generally by exemplifying central concepts in second language acquisition through the exploration of the most widely researched structures and most recent developments in the field of second language Spanish. It is written for a non-specialist audience, making it suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses and readers, while its treatment of recent empirical developments also makes it of interest to researchers in second language Spanish as well as allied fields.

Offers the most up-to-date coverage of research methods and best practices in the study of second language acquisition, edited by two of the leading figures in the field Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research provides an up-to-date overview of both traditional and cutting-edge techniques and methods in the field. Bringing together contributions from an international team of experts, this authoritative volume covers the qualitative, quantitative, survey-based, interdisciplinary, statistical analysis, and data replication methods that students and early-career researchers need to know when developing their projects and experiments in second language acquisition research. Each chapter includes best practices, case studies, and research questions, together with suggested readings which exemplify a wide range of contemporary methodologies. Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research builds on the foundation of Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition, the first volume in the Wiley Blackwell Guides to Research Methods series to cover the field of SLA. Eleven new chapters and four revised chapters address classroom research methods, qualitative approaches to data, collecting introspective second language (L2) data, L2 data on brain and articulatory mechanisms, problematic terminology in the SLA community, and more. Covers theory-based methodologies, synthetic and meta-analytic work, mixed methods, coding, and statistical analysis Describes and evaluates recent methodological advances and experimental approaches in SLA research Includes study questions, links to additional resources, and example study boxes that summarize methodological principles and connect them to real-world research studies Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in SLA and applied linguistics programs, novice researchers studying SLA research methods, and more established scholars looking for a concise and up-to-date overview of SLA methodology.