Manuel Delicado Cantero

Australian National University | ANU · School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics

This paper provides empirical evidence showing that the clause-taking nominals el hecho de (Spanish) and o facto de (Portuguese) are not reliable tests of factivity of predicates, as commonly assumed in the literature. Naturally occurring data from both languages show that these nominals are compatible with a wide range of predicates and that they...

In this chapter I explore the nature of clausal nominalization/substantivization of a specific type of finite clauses in Spanish, namely embedded interrogative and exclamative wh-clauses ( clauses). The naturally occurring data provided document their use, which is wider than previously indicated. My analysis shows that clauses are selected by the...

This book explores syntactic and semantic change in three types of construction in Spanish and Portuguese: (i) complex determiner phrases with clausal adjunction (el hecho de, o facto de), (ii) complex prepositions/complementizers and complex connectives (sin embargo de/sem embargo de, so(b) pena de), and (iii) complex predicates containing light v...

A growing body of research, especially on second language (L2) English, has shown the positive effects of explicit pronunciation teaching. However, some beliefs which prevent explicit pronunciation teaching still remain, notably, the belief that regular speaking during class time is enough to improve pronunciation outcomes. This article analyses th...

This chapter focuses on a light verb construction (LVC) from both Portuguese and Spanish, dar conselho/consejo (“to give advice”). The chapter provides an overview of the literature both on the concept of light verbs and, in particular, on the syntactic and semantic analyses put forward by previous literature on Portuguese and Spanish. This literat...

This chapter investigates the role played by the nouns embargo and pena in the development of the connectives sin/sem embargo (de que) and so(b) pena de (que) in Spanish and Portuguese. This comparison shows that a sweeping change that affected clause structure in both languages in the 15th and 16th centuries affected both the analyzed nouns and th...

This chapter analyzes the properties of the clause-taking nouns hecho and feito/facto in Spanish and Portuguese. After reviewing the semantic literature on events and facts, we present the divergent development of the Latin noun FACTU(M) in these languages from the 13th to the 21st centuries, both in isolation and in the context of clausal adjuncti...

This chapter provides a summary of the main findings of the book. It offers an overview of the chronology of the changes undergone by all the nouns and constructions investigated, and highlights similarities and differences between the Portuguese and Spanish data. It then reassesses the way in which this study bears on the questions regarding recat...

This chapter first provides an overview of the literature on nouns that take clauses and the distinction between eventive and result nouns, focusing on previous studies on Spanish and Portuguese. This chapter also reviews the theoretical approaches to language change that will provide the framework for our analysis in subsequent chapters. It discus...

This paper analyzes the syntactic and semantic changes undergone by the PP sin embargo ‘without obstacle/impediment’ as it develops its clause-taking properties in Spanish from the 12th to the 16th centuries, essential for its further reanalysis as a concessive connective. We argue against an account that explains this change through a metaphor fro...

Tras años de desatención en la metodología y en las aulas, la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la pronunciación están viviendo un retorno a las aulas acompañados de un creciente interés en la investigación (Gil Fernández 2007, 2012). En Australia, en comparación con otras lenguas —especialmente las asiáticas— de mayor tradición en la educación, el esp...

In Chapter 4, Elisabeth Mayer and Manuel Delicado Cantero analyze the evolution of the inherent locative meaning of the syncretic case/Differential Object Marking (DOM) a on primary object marking in Spanish. In particular, they analyze the cases of extended DOM, that is, the extension of the prepositional accusative to topical inanimate objects in...

The number of Spanish students in Australia is increasing. This growth coincides with a period of revival in the teaching and learning of pronunciation in the foreign language classroom. However, unlike their peers in the UK and especially in the US, no specific materials are available for Australian students. In order to assist them, the first ess...

This book presents an analysis of Spanish prepositional clauses (< P + CP >) - complement and adverbial clauses. The goal is to examine the syntax and evolution of those clauses and their components in Spanish, contrasting them with other European languages. Prepositional argument and adjunct clauses are grammatical in present-day Spanish. However,...

The nominal distribution of finite clauses in many languages has been explained by positing a nominal projection of some sort on top of the (verbal) CP. Additional evidence of such nominality has been drawn from the fact that in many of those languages a determiner can indeed top the CP projection (D + CP), thus creating a DP. In standard Spanish,...

In this paper we examine several aspects of the syntax and semantics of the so-called Spanish comparative qualitative binominal noun phrases (henceforth, c-QBNP’s). Structurally, Spanish c-QBNP’s involve two nominal/adjectival phrases joined by a linker de after predicate inversion (cf. den Dikken 2006). While previous literature has mainly focused...