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<p class="MsoNormal">In Castilian Spanish (and probably in other varieties of Spanish) “<i>a lo mejor</i>” does not necessarily imply a positive connotation.
<span lang="ES">See for example:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span lang="ES">“<i>En Brasil a lo mejor mueren cien personas, aquí tres o cuatro</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt">(While) in Brazil a hundred people may die, here it would be three or four.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white">This is an extract of an interview about geology and natural disasters, without any animosity against Brazil…[Ferrer, M. (1995).
</span><i><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white">Reducción de Riesgos Geológicos en España</span></i><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white">,
p.178]</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white">Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white">Rodrigo<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="ES" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">Dr Rodrigo Hernáiz Gómez<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;background:white"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;background:white;text-align:start"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">Lecturer in Languages and Linguistics</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;background:white;text-align:start"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">School of Languages and Applied Linguistics</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;background:white;text-align:start"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">The Open University</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none;padding:0cm"><b>From: </b><a href="mailto:volker.gast@uni-jena.de">Volker Gast</a><br>
<b>Sent: </b>20 October 2020 10:45<br>
<b>To: </b><a href="mailto:persohn.linguistics@gmail.com">Bastian Persohn</a><br>
<b>Cc: </b><a href="mailto:lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org">lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org</a><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [Lingtyp] Epistemic possibility plus affective evaluation?</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
The specific variety of Spanish that I learned (Mexico/Chiapas) <br>
has an expression "a lo mejor" which is basically an adverbial of <br>
epistemic possibility ("perhaps"), but which seems to come with a positive <br>
connotation ("hopefully"). But it is possible that the positive <br>
connotation is due to my imagination, triggered by "mejor" ("better"). <br>
There are certainly native speakers of Spanish on this list who can <br>
clarify that.<br>
<br>
Volker<br>
<br>
_____________<br>
Prof. V. Gast<br>
<a href="http://linktype.iaa.uni-jena.de/VG">http://linktype.iaa.uni-jena.de/VG</a><br>
<br>
On Mon, 19 Oct 2020, Bastian Persohn wrote:<br>
<br>
> Dear colleagues,<br>
><br>
> I was wondering if you know of any examples of expressions of epistemic<br>
> possibility - especially adverbials - that additionally contribute an <br>
> element<br>
> of affective evaluation, i.e. expressions that could be paraphrased in <br>
> English along<br>
> the lines of ʻmaybe (and I hope that is the case)ʼ or ʻmaybe (but <br>
> hopefully that's not the case)ʼ.<br>
><br>
> Thanks so much!<br>
><br>
> Bastian<br>
><br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> Lingtyp mailing list<br>
> Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org<br>
> <a href="http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp">http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp</a><br>
><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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