The subjunctive: new rules for new strategies

Abstract

The approach adopted in this study represents a shift from the mechanicist perspective –in which learning the subjunctive would be linked to specific syntactic constructions. The approach taken here consists of pursuing a strategy based on the individual position adopted by the speaker in different communicative events. Both signification of propositions, indistinguishably linked to a context, and the attitude of the speaker towards his/her environment, are postulated here as bases of this approach. The subjunctive is considered the modulating instrument capable of transmitting all different attitudes and intentional/personal subtleties of speakers. Signification and intentionality allow reducing learning/teaching the subjunctive to six rules.