The multifunctionality of the verb poner in Spanish: description and usage

Abstract

The syntactic-semantic behavior of the verb poner in Spanish is multifunctional, with different usage patterns in locative and change of state constructions. In this study, we present different approaches that described this verb from different theoretical-methodological perspectives. Then, we apply the obtained parameters of analysis to a collection of 150 sentences constructed with poner taken from CORPES (Corpus del Español del Siglo XXI) to examine the productivity of its usage. The resulting classification makes it possible to identify the following usage patterns of poner: (i) as a support verb (El señor nos pone a prueba); (ii) as a plain verb (Puso la botella en el suelo); (iii) as a grammatical construction (Se pusieron a cantar); (iv) as a causative verb (Aquel asunto la ponía nerviosa); and (v) as part of an idiomatic expression (Puso el grito en el cielo). These results allow reflection on the syntactic-semantic complexity of the verb poner and draw attention to aspects that should be considered in language teaching programs of Spanish as a foreign language.