From ‘remaining’ to ‘becoming’ in Spanish

This study is based on Bybee & Eddington (2006), a synchronic study of the exemplar clusters formed by adjectives in four Spanish verb + adjective combinations used as constructions to denote a change of state (ponerse + adj, hacerse + adj, quedarse + adj, & volverse + adj). One main goal of the current study is to employ the exemplar model in a diachronic setting. This investigation studies the development of exemplar clusters of adjectives in the expression of ‘becoming’ quedar(se) + adjective in four periods: the 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th centuries. This study provides evidence that, a.) prefabs serve as the central members of exemplar categories, b.) prefabs have longevity, c.) categories mutate over time by becoming more centralized, changing central members, or by expanding.