<em>Este hombre</em> or <em>el hombre este</em>? Semantic factors defining pre- or postnominal demonstrative constructions

This study focuses on the relationship between the semantic features of nouns and the pre-nominal vs. post-nominal demonstrative construction in European Spanish. Saying este hombre or el hombre este may convey different meanings, with the latter hypothesised to reflect negative emotional valence and derogatory information. Here, we used the Demonstrative Choice Task (DCT) to investigate which semantic features promote postnominal choice and whether it increases for referents with negative valence. 106 European-Spanish speakers matched 150 nouns with one of the 6 demonstrative options provided (3 prenominal and 3 postnominal). We replicated previously observed semantic features influencing the choice of demonstratives in the DCT, including emotional valence and manipulability. Prenominal constructions were preferred to postnominal, but an interaction was observed with proximal demonstratives being relatively dispreferred in postnominal position while the distal demonstrative was dispreferred in the prenominal position. Words relating to time and the self/body increased the choice of postnominal position, while words denoting vision, loudness and manipulability decreased the choice of postnominal demonstratives. We did not observe the expected effect of emotional valence. We discuss these finding in the light of qualitative follow-up interviews of native speakers’ own intuitions about their use of the post-nominal construction.