Abstract

In this paper I analyze the main structural changes that cleft constructions have undergone in the history of Spanish. I start from the hypothesis that initially these constructions have the same features as typical copular clauses and that they gradually become more different from standard copula constructions through a process of grammaticalization. The appearance of the so-called Gallic que is a consequence of this grammaticalization process. Another consequence is that clefts with the copula in clause-initial position become more and more frequent.