The “PRO-N” clitic en/ne and the theory of cliticization
The Romance pro-N clitic (Fr., Cat.) en / (It.) ne is problematic for most theories of cliticization, because some phenomena support a movement analysis, while others seem to speak against movement. Endorsing the view that the pro-N clitic is the result of movement, this paper argues that the proble...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Editura Universitatii din Bucuresti
2017-05-01
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| Series: | Bucharest Working Papers in Linguistics |
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| Online Access: | http://bwpl.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/BWPL_2012_nr.-1_Giurgea.pdf |
| Summary: | The Romance pro-N clitic (Fr., Cat.) en / (It.) ne is problematic for most theories of cliticization, because some phenomena support a movement analysis, while others seem to speak against movement. Endorsing the view that the pro-N clitic is the result of movement, this paper argues that the problems of this analysis can be solved by assuming that this clitic does not represent an N or NP, but rather a functional head intermediate between D/Q and N (probably Num), whose complement is empty after the DP-phase is completed. Consequently, I propose that the theory of cliticization should be modified in order to allow “dynamic minimality”: only minimal elements may cliticize, but non-minimal elements may become minimal in the course of the derivation, if their complement has a null spell-out. |
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| ISSN: | 2069-9239 2069-9239 |