Pseudo-copular use of the Spanish verbs ponerse and quedarse: two types of change

Abstract

The present contribution focuses on the pseudo-copular relation of change expressed by the Spanish verbs ponerse (literally ‘put-refl’) and quedarse (literally ‘stay-refl, be situated-refl’). On the basis of the cognitive grammar assumption that a difference in form entails a difference in meaning, it is postulated that each verb construes the concept of change in a different way. In order to grasp the conceptual differences between the two verbs, it is necessary to go back to the basic meaning(s) each verb has outside the pseudo-copular construction. The analysis shows that part of the verb’s meaning structure persists in its pseudo-copular use: ponerse keeps a dynamic view of the subject entity entering a new state; quedarse, in contrast, profiles the static outcome of a change event whereby the change is conceived of as the result of a separation, a loss or isolation. The empirical evidence is drawn from a corpus of contemporary Spanish prose.

Keywords

• change of state
• cognitive semantics
• persistence
• ponerse
• pseudo-copula
• quedarse