A comparative study of verb-particle constructions with motion verbs in Spanish and Italian

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present and analyse an original compilation of verb-particle constructions in Spanish and Italian, in order to prove that constructions of this type, which are characteristic of what are called satellite-framed languages, are also present in these two languages to a greater or lesser extent. The methodology used is based on the preliminary study of the main features of verb-particle constructions, the possible origin of these structures, and their introduction into Romance languages, as well as the different types of verb-particle constructions that can be identified according to their components. A subsequent and original compilation of verb-particle constructions in Spanish and Italian was carried out, only including motion verbs and locative or directional particles, which was later analysed. The collection, including 98 verb-particle constructions in Italian and 36 verb-particle constructions in Spanish, was deeply examined, taking into account the different combining possibilities between motion verbs and directional and locative particles, as well as the level of productivity of these constructions in both languages and the different roles played by these particles. This detailed study of verb-particle constructions in Spanish and Italian confirms that the presence of this type of structure in both languages is real, although verb-particle constructions are not usually associated with Romance languages. However, Italian seems to be more productive and apparently offers a wider variety of verb-particle constructions than Spanish.