Derivación y valencia en el Código civil mexicano

Abstract

In this study the semantics of derived forms regarding verbs that codify the constituent actions of each complex legal act found in the Mexican Civil Code (1994) is analysed. Such lexicalized forms name the components of complex legal acts, in particular, the positions of the legal subjects, the relationships among them, the objects of the involved transactions, and the required legal instruments. Lucien Tesnière’s concept of valence is used to determine the semantic value of the derivative suffixes. Non-deverbal derivative suffixes of nouns fulfilling verbal valences are also analysed. The idiosyncratic and nonparadigmatic character of morphological derivation in the Civil Code is discussed. Emphasis is placed on the need for diachronic research in word-formation processes in the legal discourse of Roman tradition.