The concept of light in Spanish denominal verbs

This chapter analyzes five Spanish verbs related to perception and causation: iluminar, alumbrar, deslumbrar, vislumbrar and columbrar. Although, apparently, these verbs may seem synonymous, a careful survey shows that they are not. It is obvious that the aforementioned verbs share a common etymological feature, since all of them are related to the Latin noun lumen (light). However, in spite of their formal and semantic similarities, each of them has developed specific nuances which justify their existence in the language system. Indeed, each of these verbs conceptualizes particular aspects concerning the experience in which light may intervene. Furthermore, their lexical-constructional behavior is placed along the continuum extended between two opposed poles: one is related to causativity and the other is linked to visual perception. Keywords: denominal verbs; perception verbs; causativity