Before and after the noun

Spanish demonstratives may appear before the noun (este libro ‘this book’) or after the noun (el libro este ‘the book this’). Despite their relevance for comparative syntax (Giusti 1997, 2015, Brugè 1996, 2002), little work has been done on their meaning. Based on elicitation data, this paper proposes the first formal semantic treatment of the two Spanish constructions, with a particular focus on the lesser studied postnominal demonstrative. The main proposal is that the postnominal is an indexed adjective, i.e. an adjective carrying a “silent pronoun”. Additionally, it is argued that the postnominal is a weak demonstrative, unlike its prenominal counterpart, which explains its reduced distribution in deixis. These two points capture previously unexplained differences between the two constructions, as well as another (better understood) alternation in Spanish, namely pre- and postnominal possessives. The paper contributes to the cross-linguistic study of demonstratives by examining an atypical adjectival demonstrative from a semantic lens.