The distribution of ser and estar with adjectives: A critical survey

Revista Signos ISSN 0718-0934 © 2011 PUCV, Chile DOI: 10.4067/S0718-09342011000100003 44(75) 33-47 The distribution of ser and estar with adjectives: A critical survey La distribución de ‘ser’ y ‘estar’ con adjetivos: Una revisión crítica de las propuestas Carolina Holtheuer Universidad de Chile Chile Recibido: 2-XI-2009 / Aceptado: 15-X-2010 Abstract: Explaining the distribution of the two Spanish copulas, ser and estar, is still a challenge in current linguistic theory. The aim of the present paper is to provide a critical synthesis and comparison of some of the most influential theoretical proposals that have been put forward to account for the complex distribution of ser and estar with adjectives. First, a general description of the distribution and interpretation of the two Spanish copulas is provided. Then, after showing the inadequacy of the traditional account that views ser and estar as the permanent and temporal copulas respectively, the different semantic, aspectual, semantic-syntactic and pragmatic approaches to explaining their distribution are reviewed. It is observed that most of the recent analyses converge on the following: (i) ser is more flexible than estar in temporal terms, and (ii) ser is independent from the discursive context while estar is always linked to discourse. Key Words: Copulas, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, aspect. Revista Signos 2011, 44(75) Resumen: Explicar la distribución de las dos cópulas en español, ‘ser’ y ‘estar’, continúa siendo un reto para la teoría lingüística actual. El objetivo de este artículo es proporcionar una síntesis crítica que compare las propuestas teóricas más influyentes que han intentado explicar la compleja distribución de ‘ser’ y ‘estar’ con adjetivos. En primer lugar, se ofrece una descripción general de la distribución y la interpretación de las cópulas en español. Luego, después de mostrar las limitaciones de los enfoques tradicionales que consideran a ‘ser’ y ‘estar’ como la cópula permanente y temporal respectivamente, se revisan los diferentes enfoques semánticos, aspectuales, sintáctico-semánticos y pragmáticos que explican su distribución. Se observa que la mayoría de las propuestas recientes convergen en los siguientes puntos: i) ‘ser’ es temporalmente más flexible que ‘estar’ y (ii) ‘ser’ es independiente del contexto discursivo mientras que ‘estar’ permanece siempre ligado al discurso. Palabras Clave: Cópulas, sintaxis, semántica, pragmática, aspecto. INTRODUCTION The aim of the present paper is to provide a critical synthesis of some of the most influential theoretical proposals that have been advanced so far to account for the alternation of ser and estar with adjectives within the generative framework. It is shown that although none of the analyses is able to deal with the complexity of the behavior of ser and estar, they allow one to understand the basic properties of the two copulas. Even though the issue of what the correct characterization of the copulas must be is far from settled, I show that most analyses converge on the idea that semantic notions cast in terms of temporary/permanent, essential/nonessential properties, cannot be the core distinctions in order to satisfactorily account for the ser and estar alternation. Moreover, in a welcome move, it will be seen that most of the analyses share the idea that pragmatics should be incorporated into any discussion of ser and estar in order to better capture the native intuitions of Spanish speakers. Particularly attention is paid to the functionalist analysis of Clements (1998, 2005). The reason is that while Clements (1998) analysis of ser and estar is highly influential, Clements (2005) introduces the use of corpus data that is crucial for providing us with a more accurate view of the actual distribution of the Spanish copulas. reviewed analyses converge on the following: (i) ser is more flexible than estar in temporal terms, and (ii) ser is independent from the discursive context while estar is always linked to discourse. Therefore, an important conclusion is that estar establishes a more close relation with the discourse than ser. 1. General distribution of ser and estar Ser and estar are the two copula verbs in Spanish. They have specific uses and even though they overlap in some environments they are not interchangeable: (1) a. María es/#está lista. [M. is intelligent] b. María #es/está lista. [M. is ready] c. María es/*está maestra. [M. is a teacher] d. María es/*está de España. [M. is from Spain] e. María *es/está de luto. [M. is in mourning] f. María *es/está comiendo. [M. is eating] While both ser and estar take adjectival ((1a) and (1b)) and prepositional phrases ((1d) and (1e)) as complements, only nominal phrases (1c) appear with ser but not estar, only estar is the auxiliary for the progressive form (1f). As (1) shows, ser and estar are present in a diverse range of syntactic constructions. However, it is the ‘copula + adjective’ construction that is the most interesting to be The paper is organized as follows: First, I provide investigated because while it is relatively easy a general description of the distribution and to predict which verb must be used in locative, interpretation of the two Spanish copulas. Then, nominal and prepositional phrases, explaining the after showing the inadequacy of the traditional choice of ser and estar in adjectival predicates is account that views ser and estar as the permanent rather complex. According to Guijarro-Fuentes and and temporal copulas respectively, I review the Geeslin (2008) the ‘copula + adjective’ construction different semantic, aspectual, semantic-syntactic is the most difficult to acquire for second language and pragmatic approaches to explaining their learners of Spanish.This complexity seems to derive distribution. It is finally remarked that most of the from the fact that choosing the appropriate copula 34 Revista Signos 2011, 44(75) Carolina Holtheuer is governed by a combination of syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and discursive factors. Guijarro-Fuentes and Geeslin (2008) also notice that the ‘copula + adjective’ structure is the syntactic frame that allows the greatest co-occurrence of ser and estar. Therefore, the ‘copula + adjective’ construction is, in theory, the construction that would better inform learners about the different semantic, aspectual, pragmatic and discursive properties of ser and estar. While both ser and estar take adjectival ((1a) and (1b)) and prepositional phrases ((1d) and (1e)) as complements, only nominal phrases (1c) appear with ser but not estar, only estar is the auxiliary for the progressive form (1f). As (1) shows, ser and estar are present in a diverse range of syntactic constructions. However, it is the ‘copula + adjective’ construction that is the most interesting to be investigated because while it is relatively easy to predict which verb must be used in locative, nominal and prepositional phrases, explaining the (...truncated)