Abstract
With the advent of the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995), the prevailing view of linguistic variation and contrast within universal Grammar has undergone a shift from rigidly defined parameters ˗associated with clusters of properties (Chomsky 1981; Chomsky & Lasnik 1993)˗ to an approach in which features play a central role, are flexibly distributed, and originate in the lexicon, according to what Baker (2008) calls the Borer-Chomsky conjecture (Borer 1984; Chomsky 2001). A closer cross linguistic look at empirical data seems to support this change in focus. The Null Subject Parameter (NSP) (Chomsky 1981; Rizzi 1982), as originally formulated, had a number of shortcomings (cf. Huang 1994; Holmberg 2005). Within the realm of Spanish and Portuguese, two dialects that do not follow the predictions of the NSP are Dominican Spanish (DS) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP). The analysis of these varieties has led to the postulation of new hypotheses to account for their unexpected syntactic patterns (cf. Duarte 1993; Toribio 2000; Camacho 2008; etc.). The present study pays attention to yet another dialect of Spanish that does not conform to the NSP, Chinchano Spanish (CS), an Afro-Hispanic variety spoken in Chincha, Peru. In so doing, this paper provides an analysis of null and overt subjects that partially deviates from previous accounts of similar pro-drop phenomena. Additionally, this study proposes a model of contact-induced language transmission that explains why CS –as well as many other Afro-Hispanic languages of the Americas (AHLAs)– presents patterns that do not align this dialect with either null-subject languages (NSLs) like Italian or non-null-subject languages (NNSLs) like English.
Highlights
Within the realm of Spanish and Portuguese, two dialects that do not follow the predictions of the Null Subject Parameter (NSP) are Dominican Spanish (DS) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP)
This study proposes a model of contact-induced language transmission that explains why Chinchano Spanish (CS)—as well as many other Afro-Hispanic languages of the Americas (AHLAs)—presents patterns that do not align this dialect with either null-subject languages (NSLs) like Italian or non-null-subject languages (NNSLs) like English
Starting with the early work by Rizzi (1982) on null and overt subjects, as incorporated in the canonical works on the Principles and Parameters (P&P) model (Chomsky 1981), this parameter has been taken as a good example of how apparently unrelated syntactic phenomena may be explained as the overt result of a single cluster of properties, all triggered by a particular setting of one “switch”
Summary
One of the main theoretical shifts associated with the MP was a reassessment of the locus of cross-linguistic variation: from innate parameters—coming with clusters of properties—to features more freely distributed across the lexicon (Borer 1984). Given that strong phi-features in AGR are needed to license null subjects (cf Chomsky 1995), Toribio assumes that Standard Latin American Spanish AGR is endowed with them Since in this dialect VSO word order co-exists with SVO in declarative constructions, she proposes a structure in which AGR is syntactically dominated by TENSE. Camacho suggests that the unsystematic interpretation of overt pronouns as [+/-ref] results in their appearance in Spec IP; by doing so, they would both become weak and satisfy the EPP. The inverse path (18b) may be an option In this case, the overt pronoun would appear in Spec IP, it would become weak, satisfy the EPP and lead to a [-ref] infl, which would eventually lead to overt pronouns presenting [+/- ref] features. Todo estudiantei cree que éli/j es inteligente all student think that he is intelligent ‘Every student thinks that he is intelligent.’
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