Metalanguage on the treatment of the terms and values of the form cantaría and habría cantado in a corpus of grammars of Spanish as a foreign language

Abstract

The explanation of the Spanish verbal system in teaching materials, including grammars, follows a variety of approaches and techniques. In order to refer to the canonical forms cantaría or habría cantado, we find in these grammars a large number of labels or denominations (condicional simple, condicional imperfecto, potencial…; antepospretérito, condicional compuesto, condicional pasado…). Among the uses of these verb forms (supposition, politeness, etc.) we also find synonymy in the terminology used. This article empirically analyses the terminology used to refer to Spanish verb forms in -ría, as well as their values, in a corpus of 30 grammars of Spanish as a foreign language. For this purpose, a quantitative approach is followed. The results suggest a multiplicity of denominations and values: it is possible to find a certain coherence in the conceptualisation of the verb form and a preponderance of non-prototypical values over prototypical ones.