A discursive-functional analysis of the (non) fixed status of the conjunctions including si, aun si, hasta si and ni siquiera si in Spanish

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of conjunctive phrases incluso si, aun si, hasta si and ni siquiera si in Spanish, according to the theoretical assumptions of Functional Discourse Grammar (Hengeveld; Mackenzie, 2008). In the grammatical tradition, these phrases are considered conditional concessive because they are hybrid, that is, they mix characteristics of both conditional and concessive conjunctions. The analysis reveals the (non) fixed status of these phrases and shows, through the application of tests proposed by Keizer (2007) and revised by Giomi (2020), how this status leads to lexico-grammatical categorization. Our results show that the (not) fixed status of incluso si, aun si, hasta si and ni siquiera si is different, which leads to a specific categorization for each connective. In this sense, when not fixed, adverbs (incluso, aun, hasta) can be represented in the underlying structure of the FDG as a scale operator, followed by a conditional function. Fixed connectives (incluso si, aun si and ni siquiera si) can be represented as a concessive function.