Habitualidade e variação entre pretérito imperfeito e perífrases imperfectivas em contos escritos em espanhol

Abstract

In this article, we deal with the linguistic variation between the imperfect past tense and imperfective periphrases in the encoding of habitual aspect in Spanish. As theoretical backgrounds, among others, we used Linguistic Functionalism (HOPPER & THOMPSON, 1980; GIVÓN, 1990) and Variation and Change Theory (LABOV, 1972). Our data comes from twenty four short stories written by Spanish language writers, selected based on the cultural region parameter: Caribe; Mexico and Central America; Andes; Rio da Prata; Chile and Spain. It was obteined a total of 126 data: 29 of them are imperfect past tense of indicative forms, that is, 23% of the total, and 97 are imperfective periphrasis of past, that is, 77% of total. In the habitual function it was found that periphrasis occur more frequently, motivated by agentive subject, the style of the writers Gabriel García Márques and Virgilio Piñera, dynamic and durative verbs and the presence of the aspectual modifier.