«Perdido» as degree modifier: subjectification and quantification

Abstract

This paper addresses the intensifying value of perdido into the construction adjective + perdido. These constructions have been analyzed as semilexicalized structures with a function equivalent to adverbs of degree. The study is based on all the examples of the aforementioned construction documented in the CDH corpus, and the functioning of perdido in these cases is analyzed. Moreover, a historical study of the construction is carried out to establish how it gets to work as an adjective modifier. The conclusions are that perdido as degree modifier has a great possibility of combination with different adjectives, but all of them must have a dismissive or pejorative value. The change of perdido to mean degree’s intensification or modification entails subjectification, in such a way that the lexical contents of perdido are lost and the gradability of the adjective with which it is combined is highlighted until it becomes prominent or extreme. This emphasis is possible because of the emphasis of the construction itself, and because of the relationship of extreme value between the adjective and perdido.