¿Esto se echa para atrás? An approach to verb-particle constructions in European Spanish based on a corpus study of [V para atrás]

Abstract

¿Esto se echa para atrás? An approach to verb-particle constructions in European Spanish based on a corpus study of [V para atrás] Abstract: This contribution deals with what are called 'verb-particle constructions' in today's Peninsular Spanish. From the perspective of Construction Grammars, verb-particle constructions correspond to constructional idioms, which occupy an intermediate position in the continuum between lexicon and grammar. Until now, the existence of verb-particle constructions in Spanish has been controversial, since this language is mainly considered to feature verb-framed patterns. However, this question has not yet been investigated empirically. On the basis of data from the Corpus del Español del Siglo XXI, this study examines the instantiations of [V para atrás] as candidates for this type of construction. Although these are generally classified as 'non-normative' in the existing literature, they are found in both spoken and written language. Moreover, both the statistical frequency analysis and the semantic and syntactic study reveal a small network of micro-constructions formed by dar/echar/ir/mirar/tirar/volver para atrás. The latter qualify as lexicalized verb-particle constructions which are mainly characterized by their metaphorical use and less by a specific syntactic behaviour. For today's Peninsular Spanish, we thus cannot assume a closed category of verb-particle constructions. Instead, they form a continuum, together with the concrete, spatial uses of [V para atrás], that ranges from more syntactic constructions to phraseological units showing different degrees of entrenchment.