Abstract
The relation between morpho-syntactic structure and its externalization into interpretive levels is the topic of this article. In many languages, typically in Romance and Albanian varieties, modal contexts, specifically imperative and infinitive, and negation, give rise to phenomena of clitic reordering and an interesting micro-variation. Imperative differs from declarative sentences in selecting enclisis except in negative contexts. Moreover, in Albanian mesoclisis appears in the 2nd plural person of imperative, between the verbal base and the person inflection. A similar distribution characterizes Calabro-Lucanian varieties spoken in Lausberg area, in contact with Arbëresh (Italo-Albanian) dialects. This article proposes to analyze the influence of modal contexts on the lexicalization of object clitics (OCls) and their different behavior in connection to their referential properties. Our descriptive and theoretical starting point is the representational morpho-syntactic approach adopted in Manzini and Savoia (2011 and subsequent works; see Section 5).
Highlights
In this article, we will investigate some Albanian and Italo-Romance varieties that share mesoclisis in imperatives, i.e. the insertion of object clitics between the root and the inflection
As is known from the literature, all of these varieties possess a system of object clitics that occur in proclisis in declarative sentences and in enclisis in imperatives, and, in some Romance languages, in infinitive contexts
The micro-variation among Tosk (Ghirokastër), Gheg (Shkodër) and Arbëresh varieties primarily involves the position of object clitics separating varieties allowing for total mesoclisis, as Albanian Tosk in (3), partial mesoclisis, as generally Arbëresh dialects of Italy in (4–5–6), or selectively preventing mesoclisis, as Shkodër Gheg in (7)
Summary
We will investigate some Albanian and Italo-Romance varieties that share mesoclisis in imperatives, i.e. the insertion of object clitics between the root and the inflection. As to the Italo-Romance dialects, we have dealt with the imperative forms of Terranova Pollino and Senise (Basilicata), and Morano (Calabria), all belonging to the so-called Lausberg area, i.e. the conservative Romance area on the border between Basilicata and Calabria and surrounding the Pollino Massif, including a number of Arbëresh villages in contact conditions. As is known from the literature, all of these varieties possess a system of object clitics that occur in proclisis in declarative sentences and in enclisis in imperatives, and, in some Romance languages, in infinitive contexts. We will analyze the distribution of OCls in imperative, as being a clue to understand its syntactic properties
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