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Indefinite readings of generic noun cristiano in Spanish diachrony

 | Louisiana State University
Published online: 23 February 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/rro.25016.yam
Abstract
The present study raises certain issues regarding the philological literature’s evaluation of the generic noun cristiano ‘Christian’ in Old Spanish as an indefinite ‘anyone’ under the scope of negation, which has been primarily based on the Poema de mio Cid. Following the diachronic evolution of generic nouns to indefinite pronouns proposed in the linguistic literature, this study argues that the generic noun cristiano, placed under the scope of negation, first evoked non-Christian religionist alternatives. Later, following the end of the Reconquista and the expulsion and forced conversion of Jews and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula, the generic noun cristiano would adopt new logically entailed person-based alternatives that allowed it an indefinite ‘anyone’ reading under the scope of negation. In short, this study demonstrates how sociocultural factors in the real world have a modulating effect on diachronic semantic change, with a focus on religion and the Spanish language.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 1.The religious context of Medieval Spain
  • 2.A closer look at the Poema del Cid
  • 3.From generic noun to indefinite pronoun
  • 4.The present study and methodology
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Search 1: The bare singular cristiano and the bare plural cristianos
    • 5.2Search 2: The construction [no haber cristiano]
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (47)
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