Abstract

GRANADOS, Daniel. Antes Di Que Hubo: An Approach to the Discourse Marker Antes Di Que in Mexican Spanish. Anu. let. lingüíst. filol. [online]. 2024, vol.12, n.1, pp.5-36.  Epub May 27, 2024. ISSN 2448-8224.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.adel.2024.12.1/002x079s041.

This paper presents a first approach to the discourse marker antes di que (before say that) in contemporary Mexican Spanish. This discourse marker has not been previously studied, and its functions have only been briefly described in the dictionary. Thus, the study collects data on the use of antes di que in contemporary Mexican Spanish to determine its functions. Additionally, by the study of diachronic data, a route of change is proposed to explain the development of antes di que and the acquisition of its discursive functions. The results show that antes di que has a double function: as an intellectual imperative and as a contrast marker. Because of that it presents a state of affairs that the speaker evaluates positively despite adverse circumstances, inviting the interlocutor to consider the validity of this evaluation to reach an agreement. About the diachronic development, the grammaticalization pro­cess of antes di que required two conditions: the prior and independent evolu­tion of antes (before) to an adversative conjunction, and the possibility of interpreting the verb decir (say) as a mental verb with a meaning similar to consider.

Keywords : Pragmatics; Contrast; Focus; Subjectification; Grammaticalization; Me­­­­x­­­­­ican Spanish.

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