A Study of Periphrastical Conjugations in Mexican Spoken Spanish in the Federal District

Abstract

This study seeks to classify the principal verbal periphrases employed in Mexico City, where five hours of spontaneous conversations were recorded on tape and the material sifted for pertinent information. Because taping seemed to yield only the most familiar phrases, it was necessary to supplement it with materials obtained by direct questioning and manually recorded phrases heard in everyday conversations. People of the lower and middle cultural levels were used as informants, the former being a mine of unusual periphrastical expressions. The study is divided into two parts. The first is a theoretical discussion of the components of a periphrastical expression and the elements which affect its meaning. The second part analyzes the expressions collected in the investigation and determines their most common meaning and usage.