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The aim of this project is to advance the construction of a theoretical model of morphosyntactic variation in Spanish, based on results obtained in five previous projects following the same line of research. Its starting point is the incorporation of the latest conceptual and methodological advances in sociolinguistic studies on communicative style, as well as the use of the principles of functional and cognitive linguistics as the theoretical foundation of the analysis. This leads to considering each linguistic choice as having inherent meaning and not merely as a formal alternative to others. Simultaneously, the project intends to continue developing an appropriate methodology that combines the quantitative and qualitative aspects of linguistic analysis. Two phenomena of variation will be studied: the variability in the formulation and position of the cliticizable object (direct or indirect), continuing previous studies on the same variation in the pronominal subject and the verbal object of person; and the use of various structures typically classified as impersonal, which share the common characteristic of being employed by the speaker to shift the discursive-cognitive perspective of the discourse from their own notional sphere to one perceived as more general; that is, with a desubjectifying function. For all of this, the materials offered by three synchronic corpora of spoken and written Spanish will be used, in which a remarkable variety of sociodemographic groups and communicative situations are represented, and which are therefore suitable for discursive and sociolinguistic analysis. The hypotheses are put forward that the various factors that covary with linguistic choices have a semiotic relationship with the cognitive values of these choices, and that the conjunction of all of them fosters the development of sociocommunicative styles; hypotheses that are supported by the results of previous projects on the variation of the pronominal subject. Therefore, it is obvious that the approach and methodology for studying grammatical variation must continue to expand to adequately address the significant potential of formal variants. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop an explanatory theory of linguistic variation as a reflection of human perception of real-world processes, and simultaneously as a means of relating to the environment.
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The present project is aimed at advancing in the construction of a theoretical model of morphosyntactic variation in Spanish, drawing on the results obtained within five previous projects along the same line of research. It is inspired by the incorporation of the most recent conceptual and methodological advances in the sociolinguistic study of communicative styles, as well as by the principles of functional and cognitive linguistics as its main theoretical bases, whereby every linguistic choice will be seen as inherently endowed with meaning and not just as a formal alternative to others. Furthermore, it is our intention to further develop an adequate methodology in which the quantitative and qualitative sides of linguistic research are combined. Two variable phenomena are proposed for empirical investigation: the variation in the expression and placement of cliticizable (direct or indirect) objects, as a continuation of previous works investigating the same facts of variation and their notional grounds with regard to syntactic subjects; and the use of a number of structures traditionally classified as impersonal, which are to be understood as a wide range of resources employed by speakers to displace discourse from their own discursive-cognitive perspective to a more general one that is, with a desubjectivizing function. Three synchronic corpora of oral and written Spanish will provide the materials for research; they reflect a wide range of sociodemographic groups and communicative situations, which makes them suitable for discursive and sociolinguistic analyses. The hypotheses are proposed that the various factors covariating with linguistic choice are semiotically connected to the cognitive values of the latter, and that it is their joint action that gives rise to particular socio-communicative styles. Such hypotheses are supported by the results of the aforementioned research projects. It is therefore evident that the scientific approach to grammatical variation and the methodology for its study needs to be further developed in order to adequately deal with the meaningful potential of formal variants. The ultimate goal of the project is the development of an explanatory theory of linguistic variation as an outcome of human perception of reality, and at the same time a tool for the relationship with the environment.
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