Ramon Menendez Pidal's Concept Of "Latent State" And The History Of Spanish Aspectual Constructions

In Origenes del espanol: estado linguistico de la Peninsula Ibeica hasta el siglo XI, philologist Ramon Menendez Pidal (1869-1968) proposed the methodological concept of the "latent state," contending that before a linguistic phenomenon estabishes itself as part of the written norm, it can...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Romance philology 2010-10, Vol.64 (Fall), p.257-267
Main Author: Stolova, Natalya I
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In Origenes del espanol: estado linguistico de la Peninsula Ibeica hasta el siglo XI, philologist Ramon Menendez Pidal (1869-1968) proposed the methodological concept of the "latent state," contending that before a linguistic phenomenon estabishes itself as part of the written norm, it can remain unnoticed and unattested for centuries. This paper argues that one point of comparison with Menendez Pidal's writings on this concept is the evolution of Spanish aspectual constructions with the verb seguir. Specifically, it is argued that an investigation of the proliferation of seguir-based periphrases in light of Menendez Pidal's ideas allows for an explanation of the contrast between the modern linguistic usage and earlier stages of the language. Adapted from the source document
ISSN:0035-8002