Según + interrogativo con valor indefinido

Abstract

This article considers sequences in Spanish formed by según + interrogative determiner, pronoun or adverb, of the kind “para según quién o para según qué sí hay pasta”, “no es agradable decir según qué cosas”, “La manzana es uno de aquellos alimentos que según cuándo y cómo se convierte en medicamento”. In these, the sequence según + interrogative determiner, pronoun or adverb has an indefinite value, and functions as a determiner, noun or adverb: según quién ‘certain persons’, según qué ‘certain things’, según qué + noun ‘certain’+ noun, según cuándo ‘at certain moments’, según cómo ‘in certain ways’, según dónde ‘in certain places’. The most common of this group of constructions is según qué + noun, in which según qué functions as an indefinite determiner, the less frequent ones being those formed by según + adverb. The development of such constructions is a modern phenomenon and its origins can be found in sequences where según, with the meaning ‘depending on’, is followed by an indirect interrogative sentence introduced by a determiner, pronoun or adverb, with a later reduction to the sequence según + interrogative particle. The interrogative particle, which functions as determiner, pronoun or adverb, indicates person, thing, manner, time or place in an indefinite and general way, first in peripheral constructions, and later as a sentence constituent or as part of a sentence constituent with indefinite value. This final step is a very recent one: we find no examples dating from before the 20^th century, and its use is not general. The construction probably originates in Spain, and has not been found in other Spanish speaking territories. In its formation we find the lexicalization of the sequence según + interrogative, giving rise to a unique functional element with a grammatical character.

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.15304/verba.42.1705