The semantics of pluralization in Spanish.

Autor/in	Prado, Marcial
Titel	The semantics of pluralization in Spanish.
Quelle	(1986), 10 S.Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	Mikroform; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Idiomatik; Konnotation; Morphem; Morphologie; Nomen; Plural; Semantik; Syntax; Spanisch; Strukturanalyse
Abstract	Analysis of examples of abstract and concrete nouns reveals that pluralization in Spanish is a complex phenomenon from the semantic point of view. The number of abstract negative nouns being pluralized far outweighs that of their positive counterparts. Syntactic pluralization of abstracts implies a semantic change, and sometimes the pluralization of the abstract noun, both positive and negative, carries a drastic change in meaning. The negative semantic feature seems to provide a greater degree of individualization and concretization, facilitating combination of the semantic category with the lexical category of number. The pluralization of concrete nouns is even more complex. In nouns representing things composed of several parts (e. g., "viveres, calores"), the plural reminds us of the parts and conveys a more complete semantic detail. In some cases, there is a noticeable semantic change (e. g., "esposas" for handcuffs or wives), and it is unclear why some concrete nouns are pluralized. A negative or pejorative accompanies some syntactic plurals, and others give conflicting signs of markedness and gender. Further, the exclusive use of pluralized nouns in some idioms, where the noun's ordinary meaning has completely changed, suggests that semantic pluralization is more complex than the addition of a morpheme to the singular form.
Erfasst von	Informationszentrum für Fremdsprachenforschung, Marburg
Update	1996_(CD)