From (semi-)oppositional to non-oppositional middles: the case of Spanish reír(se)

Abstract

Abstract This paper seeks to explore the possibility that Spanish intransitive verbs showing middle marking with no associated change of valency are a source of non-oppositional middle verbs. In order to do so, a study is conducted of the historical evolution of the middle-marked Spanish verb reír(se) ‘to laugh’ as well as other semantically related verbs (such as alegrar(se) ‘to be happy, pleased’, regocijarse ‘to rejoice’ and burlar(se), mofar(se), escarnecer(se) ‘to mock, to ridicule, to make fun of’), where the presence of the middle marker is associated with a valency-reducing diathesis.