Perspectives diacròniques en la variació microsintàctica sincrònica

This monograph explores the expression of negation in the varieties of the Pyrenean Romance linguistic continuum. It presents a symbiosis of contemporary and historical language data representative of the variation and linguistic change of minimizers (‘nouns that denote a minimal amount of something’, such as cap, gota, molla, pas, etc.) in negative contexts. It begins with an overview of the principal characteristics of variation and linguistic change in negative expressions. The main chapters are devoted to Pyrenean minimizers, their philologic interest and their explanatory potential as regards the evolution of negation. The evolution of minimizers is divided into two stages: the first, in which they can be used as Negative Polarity Items with quantificational value and as functional markers with specific discursive requirements; and the second, in which multiple factors cause the renewal of old sentential negators (Jespersen’s Cycle). The analysis of unexplored synchronic and diachronic data not only enriches our understanding of the trends and systemic patterns underlying the evolution of negative markers in Romance languages, but has implications for all natural languages.