Abstract
This article discusses the different patterns of use and semantic functions of the French and Spanish si no(n) and sino(n) in negative conditionals, showing how their functional differences relate to the position of the conditional clause within which they are used. The paper then more specifically examines one of the main differences traditionally pointed out between French sinon and Spanish sino(n): the corrective adversative value of the latter. A review of historical data from Latin to Romance shows that this explanation does not hold for the medieval period. Therefore, a new chronology for the phenomenon studied is proposed and the adoption of a Pan-Romance perspective on the issue is argued for. It is shown that the negative condition can fruitfully be associated with several related semantic functions (contrastive, corrective, adversative) within a general typological framework, and that syntactic factors such as the order of clauses should be taken into account.