Consecutive intensifying constructional idioms

Abstract

This paper considers whether examples such as “estaba todo el día que echaba humo, cualquier cosa la irritaba” correspond to an adjectival idiom (que echa humo) or to the constructional idiom [(alguien) estar (cuant pond) que X[verbo / locución verbal]]. The example is related to others, such as “una tortilla de patatas y pimientos que te chupas los dedos”, and so an examination is also performed to ascertain whether this is a manifestation of the construction [detart ind X[nombre] que Y[verbo / locución verbal]]. The analysis is based on Construction Grammar, this being the most suitable linguistic methodology for the study of the above-mentioned phraseological units. The fact that they are formed by fixed lexical elements (estar) and free slots (X and Y) allows us to use the constructionist perspective, which is currently flourishing in Spanish phraseology. The research shows that the units under study are not idioms but constructional idioms which are joined to the consecutive subordinate clauses in Spanish by means of two inheritance relationships: the instance link and the subpart link. Several conclusions can be drawn from this study: 1. the syntactic and pragmatic properties of the two constructional idioms that are examined are derived or inherited from the properties of consecutive clauses; 2. the network organization of constructions in languages is confirmed in the data that is studied; and 3. the continuum between a grammatical pole and a lexical one should be completed by the continuum between a non-phraseological pole and a phraseological one; constructional idioms like those that are examined would reside at the centre of this continuum.