The Approximation and Mitigation Marker como in Medieval and Classical Spanish
In contemporary Spanish, the lexeme como (‘like’) is used to express approximation, i.e. to provide flexibility to the semantics of the lexical item modified, indicating closeness to the prototype represented by this same lexical item, or closeness to the modified element within a scale, as in the c...
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| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | http://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/filologia/article/view/16827 |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | In contemporary Spanish, the lexeme como (‘like’) is used to express approximation, i.e. to provide flexibility to the semantics of the lexical item modified, indicating closeness to the prototype represented by this same lexical item, or closeness to the modified element within a scale, as in the case of gradable adjectives. This device is used in response to communicative challenges associated with indescribability. However, the first uses of como as approximator date back to medieval Spanish. The aim of this paper is to closely examine the approximative uses of como in two historical periods during which this marker has received comparatively little scholarly attention: medieval and classical Spanish. Based on selected texts from the CDH for the medieval and the classical periods, this study focuses on the usage patterns of the approximator como, its distribution across different text types, and its evolution throughout the history of the Spanish language, taking into account the influence of normative tendencies. |
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