A Semantic Network of the Spanish Preposition CON

The preposition CON derives from the Latin CUM. In Latin, CUM functioned as a preposition and also fulfilled the role of conjunction. However, the instrumental value did not belong to CUM originally. The ablative case marked this value among others, while CUM indicated company and mode. When the casual system of Latin disappeared, the instrumental value was assigned to CUM and this use was included in the modal, since the concept of mode was broader than the notion of instrument. Thus, it could be assimilated to the values of the preposition CUM. That is, the conceptual proximity caused this phenomenon. For their part, the conjunctive meanings such as accompanying situation, cause, and concession also became prepositional meanings, since they were limited to the structures that headed noun phrases or verbs in infinitive form. Likewise, CON has expanded and specialized in prepositional uses through mechanisms such as metaphor and metonymy that allow the generation of extended meanings. The meanings of instrument, company and mode especially stand out in their semantic network for being more rooted in the daily life of Spanish speakers.