An Analysis of English, Spanish and Basque Demonstratives in Narrative: A Matter of Viewpoint
This paper undertakes the study of the occurrence of non-corresponding demonstrative forms in Spanish, Basque and English in exactly the same linguistic context. It is proposed that the differences in the choice of the demonstratives result from the differences in the kind of information that must be coded in each of the languages. Thus, I will argue that in Spanish and Basque the obligatory coding of the aspectual categories of the imperfect and the preterit has the function of imposing specific viewing arrangements onto the situations they designate. By contrast, in English, where the aspectual distinction is not overtly coded, the demonstratives are proposed to fulfil this function.