This dissertation investigates the structure of the Spanish nominal phrase First of all we have to discuss whether the noun really is the head of the phrase, as traditional grammars assume, or whether it is the determiner that constitutes the head of a determiner phrase In order to resolve this problem we have to take a close look at the interrelation between nouns, determiners and adjectives Spanish grammars mostly do not distinguish between adjectives and determiners Both parts of speech are considered adjectives We need a differentiation that includes the article, which is traditionally supposed to be outside The nominal phrase must not consist of various parts, only a noun is possible If determiner and adjective are not obligatory, the question of their status remains open, especially in a grammatical theory like HPSG There are some arguments in favor of their status as complements, others in favour of their status as adjuncts, others for an intermediate status These facts require a special treatment by the grammar The differentation between determiners and adjectives demands special features, which include morphological, syntactic and semantic properties Some special treatment is needed for the cooccurrence of determiners Because this differentiation is gradual, we calculate the distance between one determiner and the other with the aid of a mathematical method As a result the gradation is illustrated in a dendrogram The HPSGrammar must be modified by an idiosyncratic sort of hierarchy for Spanish, so that the parts of speech are adequately accommodated We can demonstrate that the HPSGrammar is able to integrate the special requirements of the Spanish determiner system, in which the article can be included The nominal phrase is governed by the noun Determiners are classed as specifiers between complementation and adjunction, while adjectives are classed as adjuncts

Eine kopfgesteuerte Phrasenstrukturgrammatik für spanische Nominalphasen

While phrasal comparatives of inequality with the comparative marker que ‘than’ (Pedro es mas inteligente que yo ‘Pedro is more intelligent than 1.sg.nom’) have received a fair deal of attention in the study of Spanish (e.g., Bolinger 1950, Plann 1984, Saez del Alamo 1990, Gutierrez Ordonez 1994, Romero Cambron 1998, Brucart 2003 or Reglero 2007), dialectal variation has not figured prominently in the literature. Microvariation within Chilean Spanish provides evidence for the existence of both a reduced clause analysis and a PP analysis of the que-XP in the context above, as opposed to standard Spanish, where only the former analysis applies. This microvariation is the result of the availability of two distinct lexical entries for que (a pure complementizer vs. a preposition) or lack thereof. The PP analysis is argued to be consistent with the gradual change from de ‘of’ to que in the history of comparatives in Spanish (Romero Cambron 1998).

https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/cjol/cjol_a2013v12/cjol_a2013v12p175.pdf

Microvariation in Spanish Comparatives

This dissertation investigates the structure of the Spanish nominal phrase. First of all we have to discuss whether the noun really is the head of the phrase, as traditional grammars assume, or whether it is the determiner that constitutes the head of a determiner phrase. In order to resolve this problem we have to take a close look at the interrelation between nouns, determiners and adjectives. Spanish grammars mostly do not distinguish between adjectives and determiners. Both parts of speech are considered adjectives. We need a differentiation that includes the article, which is traditionally supposed to be outside. The nominal phrase must not consist of various parts, only a noun is possible. If determiner and adjective are not obligatory, the question of their status remains open, especially in a grammatical theory like HPSG. There are some arguments in favor of their status as complements, others in favour of their status as adjuncts, others for an intermediate status. These facts require a special treatment by the grammar. The differentation between determiners and adjectives demands special features, which include morphological, syntactic and semantic properties. Some special treatment is needed for the cooccurrence of determiners. Because this differentiation is gradual, we calculate the distance between one determiner and the other with the aid of a mathematical method. As a result the gradation is illustrated in a dendrogram. The HPSGrammar must be modified by an idiosyncratic sort of hierarchy for Spanish, so that the parts of speech are adequately accommodated. We can demonstrate that the HPSGrammar is able to integrate the special requirements of the Spanish determiner system, in which the article can be included. The nominal phrase is governed by the noun. Determiners are classed as specifiers between complementation and adjunction, while adjectives are classed as adjuncts. 

Angeles Romero Cambrón

Papers

Historia sintáctica de las construcciones comparativas de desigualdad