En mi/tu/… vida: negación y contexto

Abstract

There are several adverbial structures formed with the noun vida which trigger negative alternation in Spanish, such as en mi vida, en tu vida, en vuestra vida, en toda mi/tu/su/nuestra/vuestra/la vida, en la vida. They may occur either in postverbal position and without a negative inductor (en mi viada lo he visto). This paper analyzes the behavior and origin of the preverbal position construction. The evolution of Spanish negative words partially fits into Jespersen cycle: In vida constructions, the steps of the reinforcement of negation as well as its subsequent use as a strong negative polarity item are proved, however, there are no cases in which the original preverbal element is optional, nor cases where the negative item is postverbal. There is thus a change from the reinforcement of negation to negation, but without change of position. Furthermore, the preverbal position of the structure does not necessarily trigger a negative interpretation, since its positive reading is also possible, being the context decisive to determine the positive or negative value of the construction.