Traditions and Milestones in the Linguistic Codification of Comparative Phraseological Constructions

Abstract

Phraseological comparative constructions (PCC) such as mas feo que Picio or beber como un cosaco have been included in all the classifications of idioms that have been posed since the second half of the 20th century, the moment when phraseology was established as a scientific discipline within Linguistics. However, these idioms present a considerable theoretical vagueness, as a consequence of the complex historical codification of a concept in which very different areas are involved (rhetoric, literature, folklore, or grammar). In this work, the main historical milestones in the treatment of this phenomenon are described: from the consideration of the simile within ecclesiastical rhetoric to the modern postulates of the 20th century, also including its grammatization in the grammatical treatises for foreigners of the 16th and 17th centuries, or the great compilations of the international movement of Folklore since the second half of the 19th century. A double objective is pursued: a) to contribute to a better knowledge of the so-called Spanish phraseography; and b) to use the historiographical argument as a basis to achieve a greater characterization of comparative phraseological constructions nowadays.