The semantic extension of the verb estar in Heritage Speakers in Lubbock, Texas

Abstract

The semantic extension of the verb estar is analyzed, in context with adjectives of age and physical appearance, in the heritage speakers of Lubbock, Texas. Using covariational analysis, via ANOVA, the linguistic factors of subject and adjective, and the social factors of generation and degree of instruction were examined. The data were obtained through several instruments: a sociolinguistic questionnaire and evidence of acceptability judgment: “Yes-No task” “Forced choice task”, and Likert scale. With a corpus of fourteen informants, the following result was obtained: the type of verb and the inanimate subject seem to have some degree of significance in establishing the acceptability of the sentences, while adjectives of physical appearance or age would not have a significant role.