“Tío, deje una moneíta”: Linguistical considerations on the non literal usage of kinship terms in the Chilean Spanish

Abstract

In this article we introduce the analysis on kinship terms with non literal meaning ––found in expressions such as “qué va a llevar mamita” or “es media porfiá mi tía”–– and some explanatory hypothesis are proposed on their usage in Chile. These explanatory hypothesis are summarized in a graphic compound by a numerical coordinate and axis. This graphic shows the subordination and affective distance relations, and allows the production of new expressions. This project concludes with the most outstanding aspects described in the research and some of the possible projections of them.