This article focuses on the evolution of the Spanish verbal periphrasis llegar a + INF (lit. to arrive to + INF) following the theoretical methodology established by Diachronic Construction Grammar. The study proves that llegar a + inF forms a radial category in Spanish in which different, closely connected microconstructions are grouped together. The evolution of the periphrasis begins in the 13th century, with microconstructions that express (i) the ending of a series of previous events, (ii) ability and (iii) achievement. Focusing values were added in the 16th century, and finally, in the 17th century, a construction emerged that expresses possibility.
Keywords:
llegar a infinitive, verbal periphrases, diachronic construction grammar, grammaticalization
Garachana Camarero, M. (2020). Becoming a verbal periphrasis is easy with verbs of movement. The evolution of spanish llegar a + INFINITIVE. Boletín De Filología, 54(2), pp. 171–217. Retrieved from https://avancesveterinaria.uchile.cl/index.php/BDF/article/view/55950
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