|
Focalizing ser (FS) in Colombian Spanish |
|
What is the FS? |
|
The FS is a focalizing structure only common in some Spanish dialects (Dominican, Panamanian, Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, and Colombian), and in Brazilian Portuguese. Speakers of non-FS varieties find this form very odd and would never think of using it. However, speakers of FS varieties do not find it strange and do not even notice that they are using it all the time.
Here is an example:
(1) Catalina estudió fue lingüística Catalina study.3sg.pret be.3sg.pret linguistics ‘It was linguistics that Catalina studied’
The sentence in (1) resembles the pseudo-cleft construction, which is standard in both FS- and non-FS dialects:
|
|
Spanish-speaking countries where the FS is commonly used. |
|
(2) Lo que Catalina estudió fue lingüística what Catalina study.3sg.pret be.3sg.pret linguistics ‘What Catalina studied was linguistics’
I am a native speaker of Colombian Spanish and a linguist. However, I had never realized that I was using this form in everyday conversation. A few years ago, after I learned about the FS in a sociolinguistics class, some of my classmates asked me whether I used it or not. I replied “of course, I don’t use it!”. To my surprise, a few minutes later, I found myself using it when someone asked me where I was from. I was amazed to hear myself saying: “Yo soy es de Bogotá”.
In this webpage, I have gathered some general information about this extraordinary structure. I have included brief descriptions of previous research, an introduction to my own research, interesting data that I have collected from various sources, and some useful links. Feel free to click on the tabs above to navigate. |
|
If you are currently working on the FS, or if you are interested in studying it, please contact me. I will be happy to learn more about your research project.
dvallejo(AT)princeton(DOT)edu |
