Papers by Carlos Ynduráin Pardo de Santayana
Verba. Anuario Galego de Filoloxía, 2024
Interpreting the quantitative value of adjectives related to properties that can occur to a great... more Interpreting the quantitative value of adjectives related to properties that can occur to a greater or lesser degree (quantitative subsective adjectives) implies, in principle, two inferential processes: 1) to determine the category that the entity of which the property is predicated must be related to (that is, to establish what the comparison class is), and 2) to identify the prototype of that class, which would then act as a referent. Thus, in a sentence such as El niño es alto (The boy is tall), it is necessary to infer the class of things in relation to which the boy at issue is said to be tall (other children? people in general?) and use the prototype of the appropriate category as a reference to establish which entities belong to the subgroups of tall, medium height or short. In Spanish, however, when quantitative subsective adjectives are linked to the verb estar (estar alto, estar guapo...), the properties of the comparison class and the properties of the referent have very special characteristics. In this article, we will describe how the verb estar evokes, following the idea of RELEVANCE, a comparison class made up of the different manifestations over time of the entity to which the property is attributed, and how this causes a process of identifying the prototype to be replaced by the selection of other 'central' elements that enable the subdivision of that class.
Rilex. Revista sobre investigaciones léxicas., 2023
The aim of this article is to analyze the relationship between the Spanish dimensional adjectives... more The aim of this article is to analyze the relationship between the Spanish dimensional adjectives (those that refer to the different magnitudes of an object in space) and the different parts in which objects can be divided according to their orientation, shape and the perspective of the observerspeaker. In order to accomplish this task, we will adapt the conceptual systems formulated by Levinson (2003) on spatial relationships between two objects: the absolute model, the relative model and the intrinsic model. Our research is, thus, semantic research: it is focused on how polysemy is tackled by trying to link that phenomenon to the cognitive mechanisms of spatial conceptualization. Although our contribution could be the base of a future lexicographic development, we are not just trying to list the meanings related to each Spanish dimensional adjective, but to bring forth the underlying principles of those connections between words and meanings.
Anuari de Filologia. Estudis de Lingüística, 2022
El objetivo de este artículo es hacer explícitos los procesos inferenciales que subyacen a la int... more El objetivo de este artículo es hacer explícitos los procesos inferenciales que subyacen a la interpretación de aquellos enunciados en los que se emplea el adverbio relativamente. Esta palabra suele acompañar a adjetivos y (otros) adverbios que expresan propiedades cuyo valor cuantitativo debe ser modulado siempre respecto a una única clase de comparación. Entendemos, sin embargo, que relativamente se emplea para llamar la atención sobre el hecho de que, en un contexto dado, existen dos categorías relevantes respecto a las que es posible relativizar el valor del adjetivo o adverbio al que acompaña y que solo respecto a una de esas categorías resulta pertinente la atribución de la propiedad con que se relacionan estas palabras. Así, ante la afirmación El Sol es una estrella relativamente cercana a la Tierra entendemos, en principio, que el Sol está cerca de la Tierra si comparamos su ubicación con la de otros cuerpos celestes similares. El adverbio relativamente, sin embargo, advierte al oyente de que, respecto a otra categoría que también resultaría significativo activar como contraste (probablemente, la de los objetos con que interactuamos habitualmente), la nunca diríamos del sol que es una entidad cercana.
This article focuses on showing the underlying inferential processes needed for the interpretation of an utterance when the adverb relatively is used. This word is frequently combined together with adjectives and (other) adverbs that express properties. These properties have a quantitative value that always needs to be adjusted with respect to a unique class of reference. However, relativamente is used to stress the fact that there are two relevant categories of reference to which the value of the adjective or adverb can be related: for the first of these categories, it is pertinent to add the property to which these words are related. On the contrary, the second category does not need to be clarified. Therefore, by the statement El sol es una estrella relativamente cercana a la Tierra (‘The Sun is a star relatively close to the Earth’) we theoretically understand that the Sun is close to the Earth if we compare its location with other similar celestial bodies. However, the adverb relativamente warns the listener that, in relation to another category that it would also be important to enable as a contrast (probably, those objects which we frequently interact with), the distance between these two bodies would never be defined as close.
Revista de Investigación Lingüística, , 2020
It is frequent to find studies about adjectives that consider cases like good or skillful to be i... more It is frequent to find studies about adjectives that consider cases like good or skillful to be intersective when they are used in their general meaning; that is, when the meaning is not restricted by the noun they are associated with. In the example She is a beautiful dancer, it is understood that beautiful is intersective if we assume that she, besides being a dancer, is also a beautiful person. However, if the adjective beautiful is restricted to her skill as a dancer, it is considered to be acting as a subsective adjective. In this work, we will present the distinction between subsectivity and intersectivity as a matter of lexical semantics, without any relation to the grammatical structures that adjectives belong to.
Revista de Investigación Lingüística, 2020
Resulta frecuente encontrar aproximaciones a los adjetivos que consideran intersectivos casos com... more Resulta frecuente encontrar aproximaciones a los adjetivos que consideran intersectivos casos como bueno o hábil cuando estos se emplean con su significado más general; es decir, cuando este no viene restringido por el sustantivo con el que se relacionan. En She is a beautiful dancer se entiende que beautiful es intersectivo si se asume que ella (she), además de ser bailarina, es también beautiful como persona. Mientras, si se interpreta que beautiful restringe a dancer, y que ella es beautiful en su faceta de bailarina, se considera que el adjetivo actúa de forma subsectiva. En este trabajo presentaremos la distinción subsectividad/intersectividad como una cuestión de semántica léxica sin relación con las estructuras gramaticales de las que formen parte los adjetivos.
It is frequent to find studies about adjectives that consider cases like good or skillful to be intersective when they are used in their general meaning; that is, when the meaning is not restricted by the noun they are associated with. In the example She is a beautiful dancer, it is understood that beautiful is intersective if we assume that she, besides being a dancer, is also a beautiful person. However, if the adjective beautiful is restricted to her skill as a dancer, it is considered to be acting as a subsective adjective. In this work, we will present the distinction between subsectivity and intersectivity as a matter of lexical semantics, without any relation to the grammatical structures that adjectives belong to.
Futhark, Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 2020
En torno a los valores prototípicos de los adjetivos alto y bajo (relacionados, en principio, con... more En torno a los valores prototípicos de los adjetivos alto y bajo (relacionados, en principio, con las dimensiones de una entidad física) existe una serie de significados de origen metafórico que vinculan estas palabras con los conceptos de CANTIDAD (altas dosis), INTENSIDAD (alta tensión) y FRECUENCIA (ventas altas). El objetivo de este artículo es analizar la base cognitiva de estas extensiones semánticas y clasificar los sentidos que resulta apropiado diferenciar de cara a su posterior tratamiento lexicográfico. Palabras clave: ADJETIVOS; ADVERBIOS; ADJETIVOS DIMENSIONALES; METÁFORA; METONIMIA. Regarding the prototypical value of Spanish adjectives alto and bajo (originally related to the spatial dimensions of an entity), there is a series of meanings, metaphorical in origin, that link these terms with the concepts of QUANTITY (altas dosis), INTENSITY (alta tensión) and FREQUENCY (ventas altas). The aim of this article is to analyze the cognitive basis of these semantic extensions and to classify the meanings that are relevant for their subsequent lexicographic treatment.
Regarding the prototypical value of Spanish adjectives alto and bajo (originally related to the spatial dimensions of an entity), there is a series of meanings, metaphorical in origin, that link these terms with the concepts of QUANTITY (altas dosis), INTENSITY (alta tensión) and FREQUENCY (ventas altas). The aim of this article is to analyze the cognitive basis of these semantic extensions and to classify the meanings that are relevant for their subsequent lexicographic treatment.
ReDILLeT , 2020
Los pares de antónimos largo/corto, profundo/superficial y alto/bajo presentan una amplia red pol... more Los pares de antónimos largo/corto, profundo/superficial y alto/bajo presentan una amplia red polisémica en torno a sus significados prototípicos, es decir, en torno a los significados relativos a las propiedades dimensionales de los objetos. Este artículo tiene como objetivo explicar, clasificar y definir algunas de sus extensiones semánticas más habituales: aquellas en que estas palabras se emplean para la descripción de eventos y acciones que implican el desplazamiento físico de una entidad. Una muestra de este fenómeno son las asociaciones volar bajo, perforación profunda o disparo largo: en ellas, los términos dimensionales se relacionan con verbos y nombres de carácter eventivo para hacer referencia, a través de un proceso metonímico, a las propiedades (dimensión o ubicación) de los desplazamientos evocados. Estos casos sirven como base conceptual a otros usos en los que el movimiento físico se emplea como metáfora: en ventas altas o en poemas profundos no hay verdaderos desplazamientos que puedan presentar propiedades dimensionales. El análisis de estas asociaciones (metonímicas y metafóricas) nos permitirá entender los mecanismos cognitivos que subyacen a su uso, distinguir los diferentes sentidos con que se emplean y, por último, llevar a cabo una propuesta de carácter lexicográfico con la que clasificar y definir dichos sentidos.
The pairs of antonyms largo/corto (long/short), profundo/superficial (deep/shallow) and alto/bajo (tall/short) show a large polysemy network around their prototypical meanings, i. e., around the meanings related to the dimensional properties of the objects. In this article, we will explain, classify and define some of the most common semantic extensions. In these extensions, these words are used to describe events and actions that involve physical movement of an entity. Some examples of this phenomenon are associations such as volar bajo, perforación profunda or disparo largo. In them, the dimensional terms are related to verbs and eventive nouns to refer, by using a metonymic process, to the properties (dimension or location) of the corresponding movements. These cases are used as a conceptual base for other uses in which physical movement is expressed as a metaphor, such as it happens in ventas altas or poemas profundos. Here, there is no real movement with specific dimensional properties. The analysis of these associations (metonymic and metaphorical) will allow us to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying their use, to distinguish the different senses used and, finally, to put forward a lexicographic proposal to group and define those senses.
Rilex. Revista sobre investigaciones léxicas, 2019
El TIEMPO es un concepto complejo al que, en la mayor parte de los casos, nos aproximamos a travé... more El TIEMPO es un concepto complejo al que, en la mayor parte de los casos, nos aproximamos a través de metáforas de carácter espacial: el mundo físico sirve de base cognitiva para entender, a través de lo concreto y tangible, entidades situadas en niveles superiores de abstracción. En los adjetivos largo y corto este fenómeno se muestra de manera evidente: además de un significado central relativo a las dimensiones de los objetos, presentan también sentidos relacionados con la DURACIÓN: una larga jornada, una conversación corta… La idea que subyace en estos casos es que el TIEMPO es una línea sobre la que se sitúan los eventos. Estos pueden tener una mayor o menor extensión; pueden ser más o menos largos/cortos. El objetivo de este artículo es dar cuenta de forma detallada del funcionamiento de estas metáforas y presentar los distintos sentidos temporales que pueden diferenciarse dentro de la red polisémica que se articula en torno al par de antónimos que nos ocupa.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adjetivos dimensionales, tiempo, metáfora, polisemia.
ABSTRACT
TIME is a complex concept which we (in most cases) approach through the use of metaphors related to the spatial environment. The physical world serves as the basis for understanding entities located in higher levels of abstraction. The Spanish adjectives largo (‘long’) and corto (‘short’) are a proof of this phenomenon: in addition to the central meaning relative to the dimensions of objects, they also have meanings related to the DURATION (e.g. a long day, a short conversation…). The underlying idea in all these cases is that TIME is a line along which events are situated. These events have a length: they can be long or short. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed understanding of the operation of these metaphors and to present the different temporal meanings that can be distinguished in the polysemic network of the pair of antonyms mentioned.
KEYWORDS: dimensional adjectives, time, metaphor, polysemy.
Diálogo de la Lengua, 2019
The aim of this article is to explain how the speakers calculate the quantitative value of dimens... more The aim of this article is to explain how the speakers calculate the quantitative value of dimensional adjectives (such as big, long, deep, etc.) depending on the (linguistic and extralinguistic) context in which they appear. From our perspective, two steps are always needed to accomplish that calculation: 1) determine which is the class of things that the dimension of an entity must be contrasted with and 2) localize the prototype of that class so it can act as a reference point. We consider that the search for Relevance is the element that acts as an inferential guide and allows the speakers access to the information located beyond the purely linguistic analysis of the utterances.
Diálogo de la Lengua, 2019
El objetivo de este artículo es explicar cómo los hablantes calculan el valor cuantitativo de los... more El objetivo de este artículo es explicar cómo los hablantes calculan el valor cuantitativo de los adjetivos dimensionales (grande, corto, profundo, etc.) según el contexto (lingüístico y extralingüístico) en que aparezcan. Desde nuestra perspectiva, para dicho cálculo son siempre necesarios dos pasos: 1) determinar cuál es la clase de cosas respecto a la que se debe contrastar la dimensión de una entidad y 2) localizar el prototipo de dicha clase para que actúe como referencia. Consideramos que la búsqueda de la Relevancia es el factor que actúa como guía inferencial y permite a los hablantes acceder al contenido semántico que subyace a lo explícitamente codificado.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adjetivos dimensionales, relevancia, subsectividad, graduabilidad, semántica, pragmática
ABSTRACT: The aim of this article is to explain how the speakers calculate the quantitative value of dimensional adjectives (such as big, long, deep, etc.) depending on the (linguistic and extralinguistic) context in which they appear. From our perspective, two steps are always needed to accomplish that calculation: 1) determine which is the class of things that the dimension of an entity must be contrasted with and 2) localize the prototype of that class so it can act as a reference point. We consider that the search for Relevance is the element that acts as an inferential guide and allows the speakers access to the information located beyond the purely linguistic analysis of the utterances.
KEY WORDS: dimensional adjectives, relevance, subsectivity, gradability, semantics, pragmatics,
Revista Española de Lingüística, 2017
El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir a precisar, en primera instancia, qué se entiende
por ... more El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir a precisar, en primera instancia, qué se entiende
por adjetivo desde una perspectiva interlingüística y, en segundo término, qué se entiende
por adjetivo dentro del sistema lingüístico concreto (el español) en que nos centramos.
La lingüística actual considera que la separación del léxico de una lengua en distintas
«clases de palabras» debe establecerse a partir de los diferentes grupos que puedan aislarse
mediante criterios morfosintácticos. La adscripción de estos grupos resultantes a las clases
universales (nombre, verbo, adjetivo…) se lleva a cabo a partir de sus propiedades semánticas:
en el caso del adjetivo, estas propiedades son (1) indicar que una entidad tiene una
determinada propiedad y (2) contribuir a especificar el referente de un sintagma nominal.
A partir de nuestro análisis del español mostramos que en esta lengua hay,
efectivamente, una clase de palabras que se puede aislar morfosintácticamente e
identificar semánticamente con la etiqueta (aparentemente) universal de adjetivo.
Sin embargo, no todo aquello que tradicionalmente llamamos adjetivo en español acepta el
mismo proceso morfosintáctico de «aislamiento», por lo que cabe plantearse, como hacía
Siegel 1980 con el inglés, si el español cuenta verdaderamente con una única clase que integra
las tres categorías principales en que suele subdividirse la clase adjetival: adjetivos calificativos,
adjetivos relacionales y adjetivos adverbiales. Desde el punto de vista semántico los calificativos llevan
a cabo las dos funciones prototípicas de la clase; mientras, los relacionales y los adverbiales,
solo desempeñan una de ellas. En lo sintáctico esto se deja notar en la «movilidad» que,
respecto al nombre, presentan los calificativos y en el «estatismo» de relacionales y adverbiales.
Thesis by Carlos Ynduráin Pardo de Santayana
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Papers by Carlos Ynduráin Pardo de Santayana
This article focuses on showing the underlying inferential processes needed for the interpretation of an utterance when the adverb relatively is used. This word is frequently combined together with adjectives and (other) adverbs that express properties. These properties have a quantitative value that always needs to be adjusted with respect to a unique class of reference. However, relativamente is used to stress the fact that there are two relevant categories of reference to which the value of the adjective or adverb can be related: for the first of these categories, it is pertinent to add the property to which these words are related. On the contrary, the second category does not need to be clarified. Therefore, by the statement El sol es una estrella relativamente cercana a la Tierra (‘The Sun is a star relatively close to the Earth’) we theoretically understand that the Sun is close to the Earth if we compare its location with other similar celestial bodies. However, the adverb relativamente warns the listener that, in relation to another category that it would also be important to enable as a contrast (probably, those objects which we frequently interact with), the distance between these two bodies would never be defined as close.
It is frequent to find studies about adjectives that consider cases like good or skillful to be intersective when they are used in their general meaning; that is, when the meaning is not restricted by the noun they are associated with. In the example She is a beautiful dancer, it is understood that beautiful is intersective if we assume that she, besides being a dancer, is also a beautiful person. However, if the adjective beautiful is restricted to her skill as a dancer, it is considered to be acting as a subsective adjective. In this work, we will present the distinction between subsectivity and intersectivity as a matter of lexical semantics, without any relation to the grammatical structures that adjectives belong to.
Regarding the prototypical value of Spanish adjectives alto and bajo (originally related to the spatial dimensions of an entity), there is a series of meanings, metaphorical in origin, that link these terms with the concepts of QUANTITY (altas dosis), INTENSITY (alta tensión) and FREQUENCY (ventas altas). The aim of this article is to analyze the cognitive basis of these semantic extensions and to classify the meanings that are relevant for their subsequent lexicographic treatment.
The pairs of antonyms largo/corto (long/short), profundo/superficial (deep/shallow) and alto/bajo (tall/short) show a large polysemy network around their prototypical meanings, i. e., around the meanings related to the dimensional properties of the objects. In this article, we will explain, classify and define some of the most common semantic extensions. In these extensions, these words are used to describe events and actions that involve physical movement of an entity. Some examples of this phenomenon are associations such as volar bajo, perforación profunda or disparo largo. In them, the dimensional terms are related to verbs and eventive nouns to refer, by using a metonymic process, to the properties (dimension or location) of the corresponding movements. These cases are used as a conceptual base for other uses in which physical movement is expressed as a metaphor, such as it happens in ventas altas or poemas profundos. Here, there is no real movement with specific dimensional properties. The analysis of these associations (metonymic and metaphorical) will allow us to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying their use, to distinguish the different senses used and, finally, to put forward a lexicographic proposal to group and define those senses.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adjetivos dimensionales, tiempo, metáfora, polisemia.
ABSTRACT
TIME is a complex concept which we (in most cases) approach through the use of metaphors related to the spatial environment. The physical world serves as the basis for understanding entities located in higher levels of abstraction. The Spanish adjectives largo (‘long’) and corto (‘short’) are a proof of this phenomenon: in addition to the central meaning relative to the dimensions of objects, they also have meanings related to the DURATION (e.g. a long day, a short conversation…). The underlying idea in all these cases is that TIME is a line along which events are situated. These events have a length: they can be long or short. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed understanding of the operation of these metaphors and to present the different temporal meanings that can be distinguished in the polysemic network of the pair of antonyms mentioned.
KEYWORDS: dimensional adjectives, time, metaphor, polysemy.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adjetivos dimensionales, relevancia, subsectividad, graduabilidad, semántica, pragmática
ABSTRACT: The aim of this article is to explain how the speakers calculate the quantitative value of dimensional adjectives (such as big, long, deep, etc.) depending on the (linguistic and extralinguistic) context in which they appear. From our perspective, two steps are always needed to accomplish that calculation: 1) determine which is the class of things that the dimension of an entity must be contrasted with and 2) localize the prototype of that class so it can act as a reference point. We consider that the search for Relevance is the element that acts as an inferential guide and allows the speakers access to the information located beyond the purely linguistic analysis of the utterances.
KEY WORDS: dimensional adjectives, relevance, subsectivity, gradability, semantics, pragmatics,
por adjetivo desde una perspectiva interlingüística y, en segundo término, qué se entiende
por adjetivo dentro del sistema lingüístico concreto (el español) en que nos centramos.
La lingüística actual considera que la separación del léxico de una lengua en distintas
«clases de palabras» debe establecerse a partir de los diferentes grupos que puedan aislarse
mediante criterios morfosintácticos. La adscripción de estos grupos resultantes a las clases
universales (nombre, verbo, adjetivo…) se lleva a cabo a partir de sus propiedades semánticas:
en el caso del adjetivo, estas propiedades son (1) indicar que una entidad tiene una
determinada propiedad y (2) contribuir a especificar el referente de un sintagma nominal.
A partir de nuestro análisis del español mostramos que en esta lengua hay,
efectivamente, una clase de palabras que se puede aislar morfosintácticamente e
identificar semánticamente con la etiqueta (aparentemente) universal de adjetivo.
Sin embargo, no todo aquello que tradicionalmente llamamos adjetivo en español acepta el
mismo proceso morfosintáctico de «aislamiento», por lo que cabe plantearse, como hacía
Siegel 1980 con el inglés, si el español cuenta verdaderamente con una única clase que integra
las tres categorías principales en que suele subdividirse la clase adjetival: adjetivos calificativos,
adjetivos relacionales y adjetivos adverbiales. Desde el punto de vista semántico los calificativos llevan
a cabo las dos funciones prototípicas de la clase; mientras, los relacionales y los adverbiales,
solo desempeñan una de ellas. En lo sintáctico esto se deja notar en la «movilidad» que,
respecto al nombre, presentan los calificativos y en el «estatismo» de relacionales y adverbiales.
Thesis by Carlos Ynduráin Pardo de Santayana
This article focuses on showing the underlying inferential processes needed for the interpretation of an utterance when the adverb relatively is used. This word is frequently combined together with adjectives and (other) adverbs that express properties. These properties have a quantitative value that always needs to be adjusted with respect to a unique class of reference. However, relativamente is used to stress the fact that there are two relevant categories of reference to which the value of the adjective or adverb can be related: for the first of these categories, it is pertinent to add the property to which these words are related. On the contrary, the second category does not need to be clarified. Therefore, by the statement El sol es una estrella relativamente cercana a la Tierra (‘The Sun is a star relatively close to the Earth’) we theoretically understand that the Sun is close to the Earth if we compare its location with other similar celestial bodies. However, the adverb relativamente warns the listener that, in relation to another category that it would also be important to enable as a contrast (probably, those objects which we frequently interact with), the distance between these two bodies would never be defined as close.
It is frequent to find studies about adjectives that consider cases like good or skillful to be intersective when they are used in their general meaning; that is, when the meaning is not restricted by the noun they are associated with. In the example She is a beautiful dancer, it is understood that beautiful is intersective if we assume that she, besides being a dancer, is also a beautiful person. However, if the adjective beautiful is restricted to her skill as a dancer, it is considered to be acting as a subsective adjective. In this work, we will present the distinction between subsectivity and intersectivity as a matter of lexical semantics, without any relation to the grammatical structures that adjectives belong to.
Regarding the prototypical value of Spanish adjectives alto and bajo (originally related to the spatial dimensions of an entity), there is a series of meanings, metaphorical in origin, that link these terms with the concepts of QUANTITY (altas dosis), INTENSITY (alta tensión) and FREQUENCY (ventas altas). The aim of this article is to analyze the cognitive basis of these semantic extensions and to classify the meanings that are relevant for their subsequent lexicographic treatment.
The pairs of antonyms largo/corto (long/short), profundo/superficial (deep/shallow) and alto/bajo (tall/short) show a large polysemy network around their prototypical meanings, i. e., around the meanings related to the dimensional properties of the objects. In this article, we will explain, classify and define some of the most common semantic extensions. In these extensions, these words are used to describe events and actions that involve physical movement of an entity. Some examples of this phenomenon are associations such as volar bajo, perforación profunda or disparo largo. In them, the dimensional terms are related to verbs and eventive nouns to refer, by using a metonymic process, to the properties (dimension or location) of the corresponding movements. These cases are used as a conceptual base for other uses in which physical movement is expressed as a metaphor, such as it happens in ventas altas or poemas profundos. Here, there is no real movement with specific dimensional properties. The analysis of these associations (metonymic and metaphorical) will allow us to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying their use, to distinguish the different senses used and, finally, to put forward a lexicographic proposal to group and define those senses.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adjetivos dimensionales, tiempo, metáfora, polisemia.
ABSTRACT
TIME is a complex concept which we (in most cases) approach through the use of metaphors related to the spatial environment. The physical world serves as the basis for understanding entities located in higher levels of abstraction. The Spanish adjectives largo (‘long’) and corto (‘short’) are a proof of this phenomenon: in addition to the central meaning relative to the dimensions of objects, they also have meanings related to the DURATION (e.g. a long day, a short conversation…). The underlying idea in all these cases is that TIME is a line along which events are situated. These events have a length: they can be long or short. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed understanding of the operation of these metaphors and to present the different temporal meanings that can be distinguished in the polysemic network of the pair of antonyms mentioned.
KEYWORDS: dimensional adjectives, time, metaphor, polysemy.
PALABRAS CLAVE: adjetivos dimensionales, relevancia, subsectividad, graduabilidad, semántica, pragmática
ABSTRACT: The aim of this article is to explain how the speakers calculate the quantitative value of dimensional adjectives (such as big, long, deep, etc.) depending on the (linguistic and extralinguistic) context in which they appear. From our perspective, two steps are always needed to accomplish that calculation: 1) determine which is the class of things that the dimension of an entity must be contrasted with and 2) localize the prototype of that class so it can act as a reference point. We consider that the search for Relevance is the element that acts as an inferential guide and allows the speakers access to the information located beyond the purely linguistic analysis of the utterances.
KEY WORDS: dimensional adjectives, relevance, subsectivity, gradability, semantics, pragmatics,
por adjetivo desde una perspectiva interlingüística y, en segundo término, qué se entiende
por adjetivo dentro del sistema lingüístico concreto (el español) en que nos centramos.
La lingüística actual considera que la separación del léxico de una lengua en distintas
«clases de palabras» debe establecerse a partir de los diferentes grupos que puedan aislarse
mediante criterios morfosintácticos. La adscripción de estos grupos resultantes a las clases
universales (nombre, verbo, adjetivo…) se lleva a cabo a partir de sus propiedades semánticas:
en el caso del adjetivo, estas propiedades son (1) indicar que una entidad tiene una
determinada propiedad y (2) contribuir a especificar el referente de un sintagma nominal.
A partir de nuestro análisis del español mostramos que en esta lengua hay,
efectivamente, una clase de palabras que se puede aislar morfosintácticamente e
identificar semánticamente con la etiqueta (aparentemente) universal de adjetivo.
Sin embargo, no todo aquello que tradicionalmente llamamos adjetivo en español acepta el
mismo proceso morfosintáctico de «aislamiento», por lo que cabe plantearse, como hacía
Siegel 1980 con el inglés, si el español cuenta verdaderamente con una única clase que integra
las tres categorías principales en que suele subdividirse la clase adjetival: adjetivos calificativos,
adjetivos relacionales y adjetivos adverbiales. Desde el punto de vista semántico los calificativos llevan
a cabo las dos funciones prototípicas de la clase; mientras, los relacionales y los adverbiales,
solo desempeñan una de ellas. En lo sintáctico esto se deja notar en la «movilidad» que,
respecto al nombre, presentan los calificativos y en el «estatismo» de relacionales y adverbiales.