The periphrasis "dar + gerund" in Andean Spanish

Abstract

Andean Ecuadorian and Colombian Spanish features a verbal periphrasis, <dar + gerund>, whose notable properties distinguish it from the rest of gerundial periphrases in Standard Spanish. Both the auxiliary, originally a transitive verb, and its meaning, an additive diathetic device, make it a unique structure in Spanish grammar. The auxiliary dar allows for the introduction of a new argument, in what is known as an applicative. Previous literature has attributed the construction to language contact with Quichua, which results in an interesting typological phenomenon, insofar as Indoeuropean languages usually do not display applicative periphrases.