The ‘Distance’ Meaning of the Spanish Adjective Próximo in Temporal Modifiers

Abstract

The paper offers a description of the semantic value of the Spanish adjective próximo (‘near’) in temporal modifiers. Despite its etymological origin, próximo can refer to an element distant in time. This change in the meaning of the adjective occurs under two kinds of conditions. Syntactically, próximo must be part of a nominal phrase that points out a specific point in time on which an event takes place. On the other hand, próximo changes its meaning to ‘distant’ when the time of utterance and the time of reference are contiguous. I argue that the meaning of an expression such as el próximo lunes (‘next Monday’) does not follow from its lexical meaning, but from a procedural meaning whose interpretation is similar to ‘the second element in nearness.’