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In:Interdisciplinary Approaches to Romance Linguistics: In honor of Barbara E. Bullock and Almeida Jacqueline Toribio
Edited by Mark Amengual and Amanda Dalola
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 45] 2025
► pp. 165–185

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Chapter 7
Tweeting subjunctive in Peru and Spain

A study of Concordantia Temporum

 | University of Mississippi
 | University of Mississippi
Published online: 2 September 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.45.07wri
Abstract
This paper examines subjunctive tense variation in contexts with a past tense matrix clause verb. While traditional grammar states that Spanish follows the rule of Concordantia Temporum (CT), that is, that the subjunctive tense must match that of the matrix verb, violations of CT have been attested in many dialects of Spanish. Using a corpus of Peruvian and Spanish tweets, we find that CT is strictly followed in the Peninsular dialect, whereas over half of the Peruvian tweets utilize a present tense conjugation in past tense matrix verb contexts. The significant variables found to condition this subjunctive tense variation in the Peruvian dialect include clause type and the possibility of the action continuing at and past the time of communication.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Concordantia Temporum in Spanish
    • 2.1Production
      • 2.1.1Spain
      • 2.1.2Peru
      • 2.1.3Other Latin American Varieties
    • 2.2Acceptability judgments
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Data set 1
    • 3.2Data set 2
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Data set 1: Tweets from Spain
    • 4.2Data set 2: Tweets from Peru
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (20)
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