Los pronombres reflexivos clíticos como operadores de destransitivación en español

Abstract

Within the functionalist framework, this paper describes the reflexive, reciprocal, se passive, middle, se impersonal, and antipassive constructions in Spanish as a result of a valence adjusting operation. It is proposed that the main aim of this operation is clause detransitivization. Semantically, this detransitivization merges the agent and the patient in the same argument (proper reflexives, reciprocals), downplaying the agent (optional reflexives, inherent reflexives, se passives, se impersonals, middles, antipassives), or downplaying the patient even more (optional reflexives, antipassives). Structurally, the same morphological strategy is used in those clauses: the usage of clitic reflexive pronouns or a particle which is identical to the 3º person clitic reflexive pronoun (se).