Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning
This article provides both a diachronic and synchronic account of the generalization of perfective auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> in specific irrealis modal contexts across numerous Romance varieties spoken in Italy and more widely within the Romàni...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Languages |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/7/3/160 |
| _version_ | 1797485855833587712 |
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| author | Adam Ledgeway |
| author_facet | Adam Ledgeway |
| author_sort | Adam Ledgeway |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article provides both a diachronic and synchronic account of the generalization of perfective auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> in specific irrealis modal contexts across numerous Romance varieties spoken in Italy and more widely within the Romània, which has essentially gone unnoticed in the descriptive and theoretical literature. In some cases (southern Calabrian, Latin American Spanish, Portuguese), the distribution of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> is to be interpreted as a residue of an original unaccusative syntax which was exceptionally preserved under higher V-movement in irrealis contexts, whereas in others (person-driven dialects of central and southern Italy, southern peninsular Spanish, Romanian) this original unaccusative signal has been reanalysed as a specialized marker of irrealis (lexicalizing a high Mood head) and extended to all verb classes. In the case of Alguerès, by contrast, the generalization of irrealis <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> is argued to be the result of language contact with surrounding Sardinian dialects where a specific pattern of dedicated irrealis marking of Mood° has been replicated. Finally, the reverse pattern with generalization of irrealis <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">have</span>, the reanalysis of an aspectual distinction between resultative and experiential perfects found in early Romance varieties (Neapolitan, Sicilian, Spanish, Catalan), is shown to involve a similar pattern of dedicated irrealis marking in Mood°. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:24:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d42fe8484af04c52b66e1f99cb66ede5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:24:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj.art-d42fe8484af04c52b66e1f99cb66ede52023-11-23T17:20:09ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2022-06-017316010.3390/languages7030160Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal ConditioningAdam Ledgeway0Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, Univeristy of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UKThis article provides both a diachronic and synchronic account of the generalization of perfective auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> in specific irrealis modal contexts across numerous Romance varieties spoken in Italy and more widely within the Romània, which has essentially gone unnoticed in the descriptive and theoretical literature. In some cases (southern Calabrian, Latin American Spanish, Portuguese), the distribution of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> is to be interpreted as a residue of an original unaccusative syntax which was exceptionally preserved under higher V-movement in irrealis contexts, whereas in others (person-driven dialects of central and southern Italy, southern peninsular Spanish, Romanian) this original unaccusative signal has been reanalysed as a specialized marker of irrealis (lexicalizing a high Mood head) and extended to all verb classes. In the case of Alguerès, by contrast, the generalization of irrealis <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">be</span> is argued to be the result of language contact with surrounding Sardinian dialects where a specific pattern of dedicated irrealis marking of Mood° has been replicated. Finally, the reverse pattern with generalization of irrealis <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">have</span>, the reanalysis of an aspectual distinction between resultative and experiential perfects found in early Romance varieties (Neapolitan, Sicilian, Spanish, Catalan), is shown to involve a similar pattern of dedicated irrealis marking in Mood°.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/7/3/160auxiliary selectionirrealis markingunaccusativityverb movementsouthern Calabriancentral-southern Italo-Romance dialects |
| spellingShingle | Adam Ledgeway Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning Languages auxiliary selection irrealis marking unaccusativity verb movement southern Calabrian central-southern Italo-Romance dialects |
| title | Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning |
| title_full | Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning |
| title_fullStr | Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning |
| title_short | Residues and Extensions of Perfective Auxiliary <span style="font-variant: small-caps">be</span>: Modal Conditioning |
| title_sort | residues and extensions of perfective auxiliary span style font variant small caps be span modal conditioning |
| topic | auxiliary selection irrealis marking unaccusativity verb movement southern Calabrian central-southern Italo-Romance dialects |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/7/3/160 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adamledgeway residuesandextensionsofperfectiveauxiliaryspanstylefontvariantsmallcapsbespanmodalconditioning |