Foundations of Gradation in Spanish
Abstract
Gradation is a frequently applied though not sufficiently well defined concept. This renders it difficult to achieve an adequate explanation of the language phenomena under scrutiny. The aim of this study is threefold. Firstly, I will expound non-linguistic approaches to gradation (philosophical underpinnings, types of judgement of gradation, etc.). Secondly, I will conduct a semantic analysis of the terms gradación and graduación. Thirdly, I will trace the linguistic tradition of studies of gradation, starting out from its Latin origins and tracking its development into contemporary grammars of Spanish. Conventional accounts of gradation –I will conclude– are rather superficial, hazy, and scarcely original.Downloads
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