Abstract

ESQUIVEL BRIZUELA, Shaila Lisett. Demonym Suffixes in Mexican Spanish. Rivalry and Use Restrictions. Anu. let. lingüíst. filol. [online]. 2017, vol.5, n.2, pp.67-89.  Epub Jan 24, 2022. ISSN 2448-8224.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.adel.5.2.2017.1453.

It is said that the choice of a suffix to create a demonym cannot be determined by any factor, that is to say, these suffixes are in free distribution. The New Grammar of the Spanish Language affirms that it is not possible to foresee the suffix chosen when forming demonyms with every name of place (2010: 533). On the contrary, through the analysis shown here, I conclude that some factors contribute to the choice of the suffix. These are the structural and contextual factors that define the rivalry between the gentilic suffixes. In order to achieve this purpose, I follow an analysis model proposed by Zacarías (2010, 2016a) in which the distinctions between rival schemes are established. For this analysis, I have extracted the most productive suffixes (-ense, -eño, -ero, -eco, -ano, -ino) from a morphological corpus. According to data, the most productive suffix, probably by default, is -ense. Therefore, I refer to the elements that make this suffix the most popular in Mexican Spanish and establish the criteria to explain the choice for each suffix.

Keywords : demonym; adjectival suffix; rival schemes; lexical morphology; productivity.

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