Uses and Properties of some Adverbs in Contemporary French and Spanish: honnêtement and sérieusement vs. honestamente, seriamente and en serio

Abstract

In this paper we propose to examine and contrast the functioning of five adverbs in contemporary French (sérieusement and honnêtement) and Spanish (honestamente, seriamente and en serio). Our aim is threefold: – To verify the different uses of honnêtement and sérieusement in French, and to compare them with the uses of honestamente, seriamente and en serio in Spanish. – To justify the existence of these uses in terms of their different properties. – To examine the origin and historical evolution of these uses and to explain their common origin as a result of a process of subjectification.