On the history of radical-final palatalization in Romanian conjugation: the interaction of phonetic phenomena with non-phonetic

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines the reflexes in Romanian conjugation of Proto-Romance palatalization in radical-final position, i.e., the final consonant of lexical morphemes. It offers an explanation for instances of the absence of the expected reflex, which is relatively frequent in palatalization via the palatal glide as opposed to palatalization via front vowels. It considers both phonetic and non-phonetic factors, including, in its consideration of the present tense, the possibility of Slavic influence, arguing that contact within the Balkan Sprachbund provides an explanation, otherwise unavailable, of the distribution of radical-final palatalization in that paradigm. In view of the likelihood of such influence, it concludes with a general discussion of morphological interference in situations of language contact, a type of interference – as opposed to lexical, derivational, and syntactic interference – which some have questioned.