New Perspectives on the Study of Ser and Estar: (5 Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics)

This is the first book entirely and exclusively devoted to the grammar of the two copular verbs ser and estar, certainly one of the most intriguing features of Spanish grammar. Although the topic has long attracted the interest of scholars, it had never given rise to a collection of papers that covers both theoretical issues in syntax and semantics and topics in the acquisition domain. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the central research questions concerning the ser / estar alternation: the syntactic or semantic nature of the distinction, its link with aspect and with the Individual-Level / Stage-Level distinction, and its connection with interface phenomena. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Hispanic linguistics, but can be equally attractive for researchers working on Romance linguistics, theoretical linguistics (syntax, semantics, pragmatics), acquisition theory, and historical linguistics.

Table of Contents:
1. Ser and estar: Outstanding questions (by Leonetti, Manuel); 2. Ser and estar and aspect; 3. More than a copula: complex predicates with estar and the clitic se (by Garcia Fernandez, Luis); 4. Ser, estar and two different modifiers (by Romeu, Juan); 5. Sentences as predicates: the Spanish construction ser (by Fernandez Leborans, Maria Jesus); 6. Ser and estar beyond aspect; 7. The inference of temporal persistence and the individual/stage level distinction: the case of ser vs. estar in Spanish (by Gumiel-Molina, Silvia); 8. Location and the estar/ser alternation (by Zagona, Karen); 9. What do Spanish copulas have in common with Tibetan evidentials? (by Camacho, Jose); 10. On word order in Spanish copular sentences (by Leonetti, Manuel); 11. The extension and loss of copulas; 12. Origins and development of adjectival passives in Spanish: a corpus study (by Marco, Cristina); 13. Eventive and stative passives and copula selection in Canadian and American Heritage Speaker Spanish (by Valenzuela, Elena); 14. The development and use of the Spanish copula with adjectives by Korean-speaking learners (by Geeslin, Kimberly L.); 15. Index

Review :
This very well-conceived book provides new empirical insights into and state-of-the-art theoretical discussion of almost all of the central questions surrounding the classic topic of the ser/estar distinction in Spanish. Its breadth of coverage -- including not only syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, but also diachronic and acquisition studies -- and the richness of theoretical approaches represented will make it a lasting reference for researchers and advanced students. Understanding how language works implies an integrated comprehension of how the different modules of grammar interact. The analysis of ser/estar alternation in Spanish and Portuguese implies taking into account the complex lexical, syntactic and semantic aspects determining the origin, acquisition and use of this alternation. The study of ser/estar is a perfect window into the interfaces between grammar components, and the papers in this volume are an impressive contribution for a more complete description of ser/estar and its consequences for the theory of grammar. This book also provides important insights on the articulation of grammar and the relevance of interface approaches, especially the syntax/semantics interface and the semantics/interface. It will also be extremely useful to scholars working with copulas in the Romance languages and beyond, especially those interested in comparative and contrastive approaches. If every language, as suggested by Edward Sapir, has its own ‘genius’, the distinction between ser and estar in Spanish is a substantial part of the grammatical spirit of this language. This collective volume proposes an up-to-date and pluralistic approach to an old and complex problem offered by a selection of prominent specialists in Spanish syntax and semantics. Although some (necessary) background is presented, most contributions focus on providing new insights and new data in order to explain the nature of the distribution of ser and estar in Spanish. This volume presents a comprehensive and up-to-date survey on the topics involved in the distinction between the copulas ser and estar in Spanish. The analyses and proposals contained in its contributions shed light upon one of the most characteristic features of Iberian languages and make this book a must for every researcher interested in the lexical, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic factors of attributive sentences. This timely collection of articles on the Spanish copulative verbs brings together competing analyses on the basis of aspectual, pragmatic, evidential and discourse factors that impinge on the ser/estar distinction. It also includes newly uncovered facts drawn from L2 acquisition. A truly must read for Hispanic and Romance specialists.