Open AccessDiscursive functions and constructionalization of independent "subordinate" sentences in Spanish
Author(s) -
Catalina Fuentes Rodríguez
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
círculo de lingüística aplicada a la comunicación
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.298
H-Index - 6
ISSN - 1576-4737
DOI - 10.5209/clac.74388
Subject(s) - grammaticalization , linguistics , conjunction (astronomy) , syntax , discourse marker , function (biology) , range (aeronautics) , syntactic structure , computer science , philosophy , physics , astronomy , materials science , evolutionary biology , composite material , biology
The topic under discussion in this paper is the syntax of sentences introduced by a subordinate conjunction (que, si, como) that have an independent function in the discourse. Some authors have considered them insubordinate clauses. The author discusses the functions they perform in Spanish discourse, especially in reactive turns, and proposes a macrosyntactic approach that includes a range of structural possibilities: independent utterances, conventional constructions, or discursive operators. These possibilities depend on the different degrees of grammaticalization they show: as semi-fixed constructions or pragmatic markers.