Rodney Sampson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199541157
- eISBN:
- 9780191716096
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541157.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Phonetics / Phonology
This book presents for the first time an in‐depth historical account of vowel prosthesis in the Romance languages. Vowel prosthesis is a change which involves the appearance of a non‐etymological ...
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This book presents for the first time an in‐depth historical account of vowel prosthesis in the Romance languages. Vowel prosthesis is a change which involves the appearance of a non‐etymological vowel at the beginning of a word: a familiar example is the initial e which appears in the development of Latin sperare to Spanish esperar and French espérer ‘to hope’. Despite its widespread incidence in the Romance languages, it has remained poorly studied. In his wide‐ranging comparative coverage, Professor Sampson identifies three main categories of vowel prosthesis that have occurred and explores in detail their historical trajectory and the relationship between them. The presentation draws freely throughout on the rich philological materials available from Romance and brings to light various unexpected changes in the productive use of prosthesis through time. For example in French and Italian (which is Tuscan‐based), one category of prosthesis became well established in the early Middle Ages only to lose productivity and subsequently become moribund. With its extensive use of empirical data and findings from theoretical linguistics, the book offers a thorough and revealing account of a fascinating chapter in the phonological history of Romance.Less
This book presents for the first time an in‐depth historical account of vowel prosthesis in the Romance languages. Vowel prosthesis is a change which involves the appearance of a non‐etymological vowel at the beginning of a word: a familiar example is the initial e which appears in the development of Latin sperare to Spanish esperar and French espérer ‘to hope’. Despite its widespread incidence in the Romance languages, it has remained poorly studied. In his wide‐ranging comparative coverage, Professor Sampson identifies three main categories of vowel prosthesis that have occurred and explores in detail their historical trajectory and the relationship between them. The presentation draws freely throughout on the rich philological materials available from Romance and brings to light various unexpected changes in the productive use of prosthesis through time. For example in French and Italian (which is Tuscan‐based), one category of prosthesis became well established in the early Middle Ages only to lose productivity and subsequently become moribund. With its extensive use of empirical data and findings from theoretical linguistics, the book offers a thorough and revealing account of a fascinating chapter in the phonological history of Romance.
Theodore Markopoulos
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199539857
- eISBN:
- 9780191716317
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199539857.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Historical Linguistics
This bulky chapter is devoted to the examination of Late Medieval Greek (11th–15th c. AD), the first period after late antiquity which provides us with material in a “vernacular” variety of Greek. ...
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This bulky chapter is devoted to the examination of Late Medieval Greek (11th–15th c. AD), the first period after late antiquity which provides us with material in a “vernacular” variety of Greek. The investigation, based on both literary and non‐literary sources, gives new insights into a great variety of issues, such as the semantic development of the μέλλω AVC—illustrated here for the first time. The much discussed and debated “θέ νά” construction is investigated at length, and a new account of its development is proposed, partly based on language contact between Greek‐ and Romance‐speaking populations, a largely unexplored issue.Less
This bulky chapter is devoted to the examination of Late Medieval Greek (11th–15th c. AD), the first period after late antiquity which provides us with material in a “vernacular” variety of Greek. The investigation, based on both literary and non‐literary sources, gives new insights into a great variety of issues, such as the semantic development of the μέλλω AVC—illustrated here for the first time. The much discussed and debated “θέ νά” construction is investigated at length, and a new account of its development is proposed, partly based on language contact between Greek‐ and Romance‐speaking populations, a largely unexplored issue.
Martin Maiden and Paul O’neill
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264607
- eISBN:
- 9780191734366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264607.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter discusses the overall paradigmatic distribution of gaps in the Romance languages of the Iberian Peninsula. It revisits the Spanish data from a historical and comparative perspective, ...
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This chapter discusses the overall paradigmatic distribution of gaps in the Romance languages of the Iberian Peninsula. It revisits the Spanish data from a historical and comparative perspective, considering the closely related language, Portuguese. Ibero-Romance paradigm gaps are determined by the lexical rarity and the morphemic patterning. Paradigm gaps are also affected by ‘low speaker confidence’. This behaviour defines the avoidance of allomorphy even in the absence of reasonable grounds to expect the occurrence of allomorphy. Such behaviour is triggered by the speaker's sensitivity to a major distributional pattern of root allomorphy in Spanish and Portuguese such as that in non-first conjunction verbs, the first person singular present indicative together with all persons and numbers of the present subjunctive in shared root allomorph. In addition to determining the defectiveness in the Ibero-Romance languages, the chapter also provides a discussion on the general domains and determinants of defectiveness.Less
This chapter discusses the overall paradigmatic distribution of gaps in the Romance languages of the Iberian Peninsula. It revisits the Spanish data from a historical and comparative perspective, considering the closely related language, Portuguese. Ibero-Romance paradigm gaps are determined by the lexical rarity and the morphemic patterning. Paradigm gaps are also affected by ‘low speaker confidence’. This behaviour defines the avoidance of allomorphy even in the absence of reasonable grounds to expect the occurrence of allomorphy. Such behaviour is triggered by the speaker's sensitivity to a major distributional pattern of root allomorphy in Spanish and Portuguese such as that in non-first conjunction verbs, the first person singular present indicative together with all persons and numbers of the present subjunctive in shared root allomorph. In addition to determining the defectiveness in the Ibero-Romance languages, the chapter also provides a discussion on the general domains and determinants of defectiveness.
Adam Ledgeway
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199584376
- eISBN:
- 9780191741463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584376.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families
In contrast to Chapters 3 and 4, which considered an approach to the changes in word order and sentence structure from Latin to Romance in terms of the progressive rise of configurationality and ...
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In contrast to Chapters 3 and 4, which considered an approach to the changes in word order and sentence structure from Latin to Romance in terms of the progressive rise of configurationality and concomitant functional structure, this chapter attempts to demonstrate how the same empirical generalizations can be captured within an approach that assumes the presence of both configurational and functional structure already in Latin. In essence, the perceived non-configurationality of Latin is broken down into two main ingredients: grammatically free word order resulting from an ongoing change in the head directionality parameter (ultimately interpreted as the progressive loss of roll-up), which a priori allows dependents/complements to occur on either side of their head; and pragmatically driven word order, often producing discontinuous structures, resulting from the greater accessibility of topic- and focus-fronting to positions situated in the left edge of individual (phasal) functional projections.Less
In contrast to Chapters 3 and 4, which considered an approach to the changes in word order and sentence structure from Latin to Romance in terms of the progressive rise of configurationality and concomitant functional structure, this chapter attempts to demonstrate how the same empirical generalizations can be captured within an approach that assumes the presence of both configurational and functional structure already in Latin. In essence, the perceived non-configurationality of Latin is broken down into two main ingredients: grammatically free word order resulting from an ongoing change in the head directionality parameter (ultimately interpreted as the progressive loss of roll-up), which a priori allows dependents/complements to occur on either side of their head; and pragmatically driven word order, often producing discontinuous structures, resulting from the greater accessibility of topic- and focus-fronting to positions situated in the left edge of individual (phasal) functional projections.
Adam Ledgeway
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199584376
- eISBN:
- 9780191741463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584376.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families
This chapter shows that, in contrast to Latin, the Romance languages present abundant evidence for the widespread existence of functional structure and associated functional categories in the left ...
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This chapter shows that, in contrast to Latin, the Romance languages present abundant evidence for the widespread existence of functional structure and associated functional categories in the left edge of the nominal, verbal, and clausal groups. Within the context of the discussion of the rise of configurationality in Chapter 3, these facts now find an immediate and natural explanation. In particular, we can link the rise of Romance functional structure directly to the emergence of configurationality: as long as Latin had a flat, non-configurational structure, it also lacked functional structure, which only began to emerge when the language started to develop configurationality, first at the level of the clause (CP) and in the prepositional group (PP), and subsequently within the verbal (IP) and nominal (DP) groups. In short, when in the passage from Latin to Romance the language began to project configurational phrase structure according to the universally available X-bar schema, the functional projections CP, PP, IP, and DP (and eventual splits thereof) came at once ‘for free’.Less
This chapter shows that, in contrast to Latin, the Romance languages present abundant evidence for the widespread existence of functional structure and associated functional categories in the left edge of the nominal, verbal, and clausal groups. Within the context of the discussion of the rise of configurationality in Chapter 3, these facts now find an immediate and natural explanation. In particular, we can link the rise of Romance functional structure directly to the emergence of configurationality: as long as Latin had a flat, non-configurational structure, it also lacked functional structure, which only began to emerge when the language started to develop configurationality, first at the level of the clause (CP) and in the prepositional group (PP), and subsequently within the verbal (IP) and nominal (DP) groups. In short, when in the passage from Latin to Romance the language began to project configurational phrase structure according to the universally available X-bar schema, the functional projections CP, PP, IP, and DP (and eventual splits thereof) came at once ‘for free’.
Andrej A. Kibrik
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199215805
- eISBN:
- 9780191728426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199215805.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter is devoted to diachronic aspects of referential systems, particularly those involving bound pronouns. It considers how languages change their referential systems over time. It presents ...
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This chapter is devoted to diachronic aspects of referential systems, particularly those involving bound pronouns. It considers how languages change their referential systems over time. It presents three case studies, each concerned with a certain genealogical group of languages: Athabaskan, Romance, and Slavic. It shows different routes of how referential systems can change over time, including the processes of developing and losing bound and/or tenacious pronouns. There is sufficient evidence of the accretion of bound pronouns in a language, but a converse evolution, that is loss of bound pronouns, is possible as well. The final section of this chapter offers a wider typological picture of possible evolutionary pathways in the domain of reduced referential devices.Less
This chapter is devoted to diachronic aspects of referential systems, particularly those involving bound pronouns. It considers how languages change their referential systems over time. It presents three case studies, each concerned with a certain genealogical group of languages: Athabaskan, Romance, and Slavic. It shows different routes of how referential systems can change over time, including the processes of developing and losing bound and/or tenacious pronouns. There is sufficient evidence of the accretion of bound pronouns in a language, but a converse evolution, that is loss of bound pronouns, is possible as well. The final section of this chapter offers a wider typological picture of possible evolutionary pathways in the domain of reduced referential devices.
Stephen R. Anderson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264607
- eISBN:
- 9780191734366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264607.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter examines the Surmiran dialect which is a form of Swiss Rumantsch. Surmiran is a Romance language which is one of the spoken languages in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The ...
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This chapter examines the Surmiran dialect which is a form of Swiss Rumantsch. Surmiran is a Romance language which is one of the spoken languages in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The emphasis of this chapter is on a single verb which lacks many of the forms other verbs possess, hence forcing the speakers to use a distinct, but almost synonymous verb as an alternative. Treated within a broader context, the verb dueir in Sumiran which is a Latin reflex of the dēbēre, provides an opportunity to evaluate how gaps should be treated within the context of Optimal Theory. This defectiveness in the Surmiran dueir was a result of the morphologization of the vowel alternations of the Swiss Rumantsch.Less
This chapter examines the Surmiran dialect which is a form of Swiss Rumantsch. Surmiran is a Romance language which is one of the spoken languages in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The emphasis of this chapter is on a single verb which lacks many of the forms other verbs possess, hence forcing the speakers to use a distinct, but almost synonymous verb as an alternative. Treated within a broader context, the verb dueir in Sumiran which is a Latin reflex of the dēbēre, provides an opportunity to evaluate how gaps should be treated within the context of Optimal Theory. This defectiveness in the Surmiran dueir was a result of the morphologization of the vowel alternations of the Swiss Rumantsch.
Adam Ledgeway
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199584376
- eISBN:
- 9780191741463
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584376.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families
This book examines the grammatical changes that took place in the transition from Latin to the Romance languages. The emerging language underwent changes in three fundamental areas involving the noun ...
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This book examines the grammatical changes that took place in the transition from Latin to the Romance languages. The emerging language underwent changes in three fundamental areas involving the noun phrase, verb phrase, and the sentence. The impact of the changes can be seen in the reduction of the Latin case system; the appearance of auxiliary verb structures to mark such categories as tense, mood, and voice; and a shift towards greater rigidification of word order. The book considers how far these changes are interrelated and compares their various manifestations and pace of change across the different standard and non-standard varieties of Romance. It describes the historical background to the emergence of the Romance varieties and their Latin ancestry, considering in detail the richly documented diachronic variation exhibited by the Romance family. The book reviews the accounts and explanations that have been proposed within competing theoretical frameworks, and considers how far traditional ideas should be reinterpreted in light of recent theoretical developments. This account shows that the transition from Latin to Romance is not only of great intrinsic interest, but both provides a means of challenging linguistic orthodoxies and presents opportunities to shape new perspectives on language change, structure, and variation.Less
This book examines the grammatical changes that took place in the transition from Latin to the Romance languages. The emerging language underwent changes in three fundamental areas involving the noun phrase, verb phrase, and the sentence. The impact of the changes can be seen in the reduction of the Latin case system; the appearance of auxiliary verb structures to mark such categories as tense, mood, and voice; and a shift towards greater rigidification of word order. The book considers how far these changes are interrelated and compares their various manifestations and pace of change across the different standard and non-standard varieties of Romance. It describes the historical background to the emergence of the Romance varieties and their Latin ancestry, considering in detail the richly documented diachronic variation exhibited by the Romance family. The book reviews the accounts and explanations that have been proposed within competing theoretical frameworks, and considers how far traditional ideas should be reinterpreted in light of recent theoretical developments. This account shows that the transition from Latin to Romance is not only of great intrinsic interest, but both provides a means of challenging linguistic orthodoxies and presents opportunities to shape new perspectives on language change, structure, and variation.
WILLIAM H. ISBELL
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265031
- eISBN:
- 9780191754142
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265031.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, American History: pre-Columbian BCE to 500CE
The dispersal of the Romance language family by the Roman Empire is an attractive model for examining the spread of Quechua. Wari and Tiwanaku are often considered the first Andean empires, during ...
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The dispersal of the Romance language family by the Roman Empire is an attractive model for examining the spread of Quechua. Wari and Tiwanaku are often considered the first Andean empires, during the Middle Horizon (cal. ad 650–1050). Despite being contemporaries sharing the same religious iconography, they were unlikely to have spoken and dispersed the same language. Tiwanaku material culture rather implies ethnic and linguistic diversity, not least in its best-documented colonization in Moquegua. Wari, meanwhile, appears culturally and administratively unified, colonizing and controlling a territory across southern Peru, from Cuzco to Nasca. If Wari was responsible for a language dispersal, then this should represent its core territory; and it is indeed the heart of Southern Quechua. In northern Peru, Wari presence seems less intense, its rule more complex and indirect. The Moche region remained essentially beyond Wari influence, while for the central coast and distant Aguada culture more research is needed.Less
The dispersal of the Romance language family by the Roman Empire is an attractive model for examining the spread of Quechua. Wari and Tiwanaku are often considered the first Andean empires, during the Middle Horizon (cal. ad 650–1050). Despite being contemporaries sharing the same religious iconography, they were unlikely to have spoken and dispersed the same language. Tiwanaku material culture rather implies ethnic and linguistic diversity, not least in its best-documented colonization in Moquegua. Wari, meanwhile, appears culturally and administratively unified, colonizing and controlling a territory across southern Peru, from Cuzco to Nasca. If Wari was responsible for a language dispersal, then this should represent its core territory; and it is indeed the heart of Southern Quechua. In northern Peru, Wari presence seems less intense, its rule more complex and indirect. The Moche region remained essentially beyond Wari influence, while for the central coast and distant Aguada culture more research is needed.
Paola Monachesi
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199274758
- eISBN:
- 9780191705908
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274758.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This introductory chapter focuses on the properties of verbal complex in various Romance languages and considers cliticization as well as complex predicates, that is, auxiliary verbs as well as ...
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This introductory chapter focuses on the properties of verbal complex in various Romance languages and considers cliticization as well as complex predicates, that is, auxiliary verbs as well as modal, aspectual, and motion verbs in Romance languages. Moreover, it investigates the nature of the interface between syntax and other components of the grammar, particularly phonology, morphology, and argument structure. It provides an outline of the topics discussed in this book. It shows several examples, explains arguments, and proves some theories highlighted in this study.Less
This introductory chapter focuses on the properties of verbal complex in various Romance languages and considers cliticization as well as complex predicates, that is, auxiliary verbs as well as modal, aspectual, and motion verbs in Romance languages. Moreover, it investigates the nature of the interface between syntax and other components of the grammar, particularly phonology, morphology, and argument structure. It provides an outline of the topics discussed in this book. It shows several examples, explains arguments, and proves some theories highlighted in this study.
Adam Ledgeway
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199584376
- eISBN:
- 9780191741463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584376.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families
This chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the changes that occurred in the morphosyntax of the speech of the populations of the formerly Latin-speaking regions, which led to ...
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This chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the changes that occurred in the morphosyntax of the speech of the populations of the formerly Latin-speaking regions, which led to the wide typological variation witnessed in the Romance languages and dialects written and spoken today and in the past. Among Romance linguists of all theoretical persuasions, there is general recognition that, in the passage from Latin to Romance, the morphosyntax of the emerging languages underwent significant changes in three fundamental areas of the grammar involving: the nominal group; the verbal group; and the sentence.Less
This chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the changes that occurred in the morphosyntax of the speech of the populations of the formerly Latin-speaking regions, which led to the wide typological variation witnessed in the Romance languages and dialects written and spoken today and in the past. Among Romance linguists of all theoretical persuasions, there is general recognition that, in the passage from Latin to Romance, the morphosyntax of the emerging languages underwent significant changes in three fundamental areas of the grammar involving: the nominal group; the verbal group; and the sentence.
Jurgen Meisel, Martin Elsig, and Esther Rinke
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780748642250
- eISBN:
- 9780748695157
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748642250.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This book discusses diachronic change of languages in terms of restructuring of speakers’ internal grammatical knowledge: Under which circumstances does grammatical change come about? One answer in ...
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This book discusses diachronic change of languages in terms of restructuring of speakers’ internal grammatical knowledge: Under which circumstances does grammatical change come about? One answer in historical linguistics has been to invoke the child as principal agent of change. But efforts to construct a theory of diachronic change consistent with findings from psycholinguistics are scarce. Here, these questions are therefore addressed against the background of insights from research on monolingual and bilingual acquisition. Given that children are remarkably successful in reconstructing the grammars of their ambient languages, commonly held views need to be reconsidered according to which language change is primarily triggered by structural ambiguity in the input and in settings of language contact. In an innovative take on this matter, the authors argue that morphosyntactic change in core areas of grammar, especially where parameters of Universal Grammar are concerned, typically happens in settings involving second language acquisition. The children acting as agents of restructuring are either second language (L2) learners themselves or are continuously exposed to the speech of L2 speakers of their target languages. Based on a variety of case studies from Romance languages, this discussion sheds new light on phenomena of change which have occupied historical linguists since the XIXth century.Less
This book discusses diachronic change of languages in terms of restructuring of speakers’ internal grammatical knowledge: Under which circumstances does grammatical change come about? One answer in historical linguistics has been to invoke the child as principal agent of change. But efforts to construct a theory of diachronic change consistent with findings from psycholinguistics are scarce. Here, these questions are therefore addressed against the background of insights from research on monolingual and bilingual acquisition. Given that children are remarkably successful in reconstructing the grammars of their ambient languages, commonly held views need to be reconsidered according to which language change is primarily triggered by structural ambiguity in the input and in settings of language contact. In an innovative take on this matter, the authors argue that morphosyntactic change in core areas of grammar, especially where parameters of Universal Grammar are concerned, typically happens in settings involving second language acquisition. The children acting as agents of restructuring are either second language (L2) learners themselves or are continuously exposed to the speech of L2 speakers of their target languages. Based on a variety of case studies from Romance languages, this discussion sheds new light on phenomena of change which have occupied historical linguists since the XIXth century.
Marian Hobson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264577
- eISBN:
- 9780191734267
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264577.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
Malcolm MacNaughtan Bowie (1943–2007), a Fellow of the British Academy, was appointed from an assistant lectureship at the University of East Anglia to one in the University of Cambridge in 1969. At ...
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Malcolm MacNaughtan Bowie (1943–2007), a Fellow of the British Academy, was appointed from an assistant lectureship at the University of East Anglia to one in the University of Cambridge in 1969. At Cambridge, he worked as a specialist in difficult poets in French beginning with ‘M’, particularly Henri Michaux and Stephane Mallarmé. These are writers of involuted complexity, to read whom both a sensitivity to how word play plays and to how French prosody in poetry or prose works were essential. These studies by Bowie were followed by work on mind-altering psychoanalysis: on Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. He was the first director of the Romance Languages Institute, ran its vigorous seminar programme, and gave this a strong international profile by his invitations. At the University of Oxford, Bowie set up the European Humanities Research Centre, followed by an associated publishing venture, Legenda.Less
Malcolm MacNaughtan Bowie (1943–2007), a Fellow of the British Academy, was appointed from an assistant lectureship at the University of East Anglia to one in the University of Cambridge in 1969. At Cambridge, he worked as a specialist in difficult poets in French beginning with ‘M’, particularly Henri Michaux and Stephane Mallarmé. These are writers of involuted complexity, to read whom both a sensitivity to how word play plays and to how French prosody in poetry or prose works were essential. These studies by Bowie were followed by work on mind-altering psychoanalysis: on Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. He was the first director of the Romance Languages Institute, ran its vigorous seminar programme, and gave this a strong international profile by his invitations. At the University of Oxford, Bowie set up the European Humanities Research Centre, followed by an associated publishing venture, Legenda.
Sonia Frota and Pilar Prieto
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199685332
- eISBN:
- 9780191765520
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199685332.003.0011
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Phonetics / Phonology, Language Families
This chapter examines the main similarities and differences in the prosodic and intonation systems of the nine Romance languages and their varieties described in the previous chapters. The first ...
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This chapter examines the main similarities and differences in the prosodic and intonation systems of the nine Romance languages and their varieties described in the previous chapters. The first section is devoted to patterns of prominence and phrasing, providing a survey of word and phrase-level prominence features and prosodic domains that are intonationally relevant for each language. The second section discusses the nuclear contours of main utterance types, as well as the use of lexical and syntactic markers to convey pragmatic meanings, and their interaction with intonation. The third section offers a systematic comparison of the nine intonation systems, focusing on the types, complexity, and distribution of pitch events, and the types of nuclear configurations obtained. The final section offers an overview of the common prosodic features and of the main dimensions of variation found across Romance languages, together with a reflection on their contribution to prosodic typology.Less
This chapter examines the main similarities and differences in the prosodic and intonation systems of the nine Romance languages and their varieties described in the previous chapters. The first section is devoted to patterns of prominence and phrasing, providing a survey of word and phrase-level prominence features and prosodic domains that are intonationally relevant for each language. The second section discusses the nuclear contours of main utterance types, as well as the use of lexical and syntactic markers to convey pragmatic meanings, and their interaction with intonation. The third section offers a systematic comparison of the nine intonation systems, focusing on the types, complexity, and distribution of pitch events, and the types of nuclear configurations obtained. The final section offers an overview of the common prosodic features and of the main dimensions of variation found across Romance languages, together with a reflection on their contribution to prosodic typology.
Martin Maiden
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- April 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780199660216
- eISBN:
- 9780191800375
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199660216.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Language Families
In the first part of the chapter the Romance languages are defined, and the (largely negative) significance of the distinction between a language and a dialect for the morphological data is ...
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In the first part of the chapter the Romance languages are defined, and the (largely negative) significance of the distinction between a language and a dialect for the morphological data is discussed. The sources for the data on verb morphology are reviewed, and some criteria for assessing the validity of these data are examined. Finally, a comparative–historical structural sketch of the morphology of the Latin and Romance verb is given.Less
In the first part of the chapter the Romance languages are defined, and the (largely negative) significance of the distinction between a language and a dialect for the morphological data is discussed. The sources for the data on verb morphology are reviewed, and some criteria for assessing the validity of these data are examined. Finally, a comparative–historical structural sketch of the morphology of the Latin and Romance verb is given.
Guglielmo Cinque
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262014168
- eISBN:
- 9780262289306
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014168.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Lexicography
This book offers cross-linguistic evidence that adjectives have two sources. Arguing against the standard view, and reconsidering his own earlier analysis, the author proposes that adjectives enter ...
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This book offers cross-linguistic evidence that adjectives have two sources. Arguing against the standard view, and reconsidering his own earlier analysis, the author proposes that adjectives enter the nominal phase either as “adverbial” modifiers to the noun or as predicates of reduced relative clauses. Some of his evidence comes from a systematic comparison between Romance and Germanic languages. These two language families differ with respect to the canonical position taken by adjectives, which is prenominal in Germanic and both pre- and postnominal in Romance. The author shows that a simple N(oun)-raising analysis encounters a number of problems, the primary one of which is its inability to express a fundamental generalization governing the interpretation of pre- and postnominal adjectives in the two language families. He argues that N-raising as such should be abandoned in favor of XP-raising—a conclusion also supported by evidence from other language families. After developing this framework for analyzing the syntax of adjectives, the author applies it to the syntax of English and Italian adjectives. An appendix offers a brief discussion of other languages that appear to distinguish overtly between the two sources of adjectives.Less
This book offers cross-linguistic evidence that adjectives have two sources. Arguing against the standard view, and reconsidering his own earlier analysis, the author proposes that adjectives enter the nominal phase either as “adverbial” modifiers to the noun or as predicates of reduced relative clauses. Some of his evidence comes from a systematic comparison between Romance and Germanic languages. These two language families differ with respect to the canonical position taken by adjectives, which is prenominal in Germanic and both pre- and postnominal in Romance. The author shows that a simple N(oun)-raising analysis encounters a number of problems, the primary one of which is its inability to express a fundamental generalization governing the interpretation of pre- and postnominal adjectives in the two language families. He argues that N-raising as such should be abandoned in favor of XP-raising—a conclusion also supported by evidence from other language families. After developing this framework for analyzing the syntax of adjectives, the author applies it to the syntax of English and Italian adjectives. An appendix offers a brief discussion of other languages that appear to distinguish overtly between the two sources of adjectives.
Guido Mensching
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199659203
- eISBN:
- 9780191745188
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199659203.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This chapter examines medieval Romance word order patterns concentrating on XP-V-subject and Aux-XP-V-participle. It argues both patterns are related to each other in that the latter overtly shows ...
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This chapter examines medieval Romance word order patterns concentrating on XP-V-subject and Aux-XP-V-participle. It argues both patterns are related to each other in that the latter overtly shows the position of some XP at the boundary of the vP phase. From this position, the XP is visible for higher functional categories, thus allowing for XP-V-subject, where XP checks T°'s [EPP]-feature, at least when XP is a topic. Both patterns follow from one (lexical) parameter—generalized [EPP]-feature on v°—which made the movement of a constituent to [spec,vP] possible. Since this feature was lost in the course of time, clitic pronouns became obligatory in these constructions. The clitics may be considered as a device to supply the relevant [EPP]-feature. The chapter is based on Chomsky (2000 et seq.), showing that a non-cartographic approach can account for the data, if the probe-goal approach is enhanced to allow information structural probes.Less
This chapter examines medieval Romance word order patterns concentrating on XP-V-subject and Aux-XP-V-participle. It argues both patterns are related to each other in that the latter overtly shows the position of some XP at the boundary of the vP phase. From this position, the XP is visible for higher functional categories, thus allowing for XP-V-subject, where XP checks T°'s [EPP]-feature, at least when XP is a topic. Both patterns follow from one (lexical) parameter—generalized [EPP]-feature on v°—which made the movement of a constituent to [spec,vP] possible. Since this feature was lost in the course of time, clitic pronouns became obligatory in these constructions. The clitics may be considered as a device to supply the relevant [EPP]-feature. The chapter is based on Chomsky (2000 et seq.), showing that a non-cartographic approach can account for the data, if the probe-goal approach is enhanced to allow information structural probes.
Adam Ledgeway and Martin Maiden (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199677108
- eISBN:
- 9780191808821
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199677108.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families, Historical Linguistics
This book is as an essential tool for both Romance linguists and general linguists which brings together leading recent international scholarship in individual Romance varieties and from different ...
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This book is as an essential tool for both Romance linguists and general linguists which brings together leading recent international scholarship in individual Romance varieties and from different theoretical frameworks and approaches, showing how each may cast new and necessary light on the other. It offers a detailed structural treatment of all the individual Romance varieties and Romance-speaking areas (including standard, non-standard, dialectal, and regional varieties of the Romània continua and the Romània nova), as well as a comparative treatment of major topics, issues, and case studies across different areas of the grammar of the Romance languages. Organized along thematic lines into 10 ‘Parts’, the Guide brings together a rich variety of comparative in-depth studies in Romance linguistics organized according to different grammatical phenomena, different approaches, and different language groupings, specifically dealing with 1: The making of the Romance languages; 2: Typology and classification; 3: Individual structural overviews (of Romance languages, dialects, and linguistic areas); 4: Comparative overviews (in turn divided into: Phonology; Morphology; Syntax; Semantics and pragmatics; Sociolinguistics); 5: Issues in Romance phonology; 6: Issues in Romance morphology; 7: Issues in Romance syntax; 8: Issues in Romance syntax and semantics; 9: Issues in Romance pragmatics and discourse; and 10: Case studies (in turn divided into the following subsections: The nominal group; The verbal group; The clause).Less
This book is as an essential tool for both Romance linguists and general linguists which brings together leading recent international scholarship in individual Romance varieties and from different theoretical frameworks and approaches, showing how each may cast new and necessary light on the other. It offers a detailed structural treatment of all the individual Romance varieties and Romance-speaking areas (including standard, non-standard, dialectal, and regional varieties of the Romània continua and the Romània nova), as well as a comparative treatment of major topics, issues, and case studies across different areas of the grammar of the Romance languages. Organized along thematic lines into 10 ‘Parts’, the Guide brings together a rich variety of comparative in-depth studies in Romance linguistics organized according to different grammatical phenomena, different approaches, and different language groupings, specifically dealing with 1: The making of the Romance languages; 2: Typology and classification; 3: Individual structural overviews (of Romance languages, dialects, and linguistic areas); 4: Comparative overviews (in turn divided into: Phonology; Morphology; Syntax; Semantics and pragmatics; Sociolinguistics); 5: Issues in Romance phonology; 6: Issues in Romance morphology; 7: Issues in Romance syntax; 8: Issues in Romance syntax and semantics; 9: Issues in Romance pragmatics and discourse; and 10: Case studies (in turn divided into the following subsections: The nominal group; The verbal group; The clause).
Guglielmo Cinque
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262014168
- eISBN:
- 9780262289306
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014168.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Lexicography
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the main themes covered in this book. Cinque proposed that the DP-internal word-order difference between Romance and Germanic should not be seen as ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of the main themes covered in this book. Cinque proposed that the DP-internal word-order difference between Romance and Germanic should not be seen as arising from a different base generation of the adjectives, but in terms of the noun raising across some of the adjectives in Romance, within one and the same, possibly universal, underlying structure. Since then, a number of problems have emerged that demand a reconsideration of that analysis, which is presented in the subsequent chapters.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the main themes covered in this book. Cinque proposed that the DP-internal word-order difference between Romance and Germanic should not be seen as arising from a different base generation of the adjectives, but in terms of the noun raising across some of the adjectives in Romance, within one and the same, possibly universal, underlying structure. Since then, a number of problems have emerged that demand a reconsideration of that analysis, which is presented in the subsequent chapters.
Richard S. Kayne
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199553266
- eISBN:
- 9780191720833
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199553266.003.0015
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Theoretical Linguistics
In order to account for morphosyntactic microvariation, an approach based on silent elements provides an alternative (one that is more tightly tied to other aspects of syntax) to an approach based on ...
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In order to account for morphosyntactic microvariation, an approach based on silent elements provides an alternative (one that is more tightly tied to other aspects of syntax) to an approach based on syncretism: languages are not more or less syncretic, they just happen to have a certain distribution of empty morphemes. This chapter analyses cases of 3rd person clitics in French and Italian (on, ci), which, in addition to their impersonal use, are also used as 1st person plural pronouns. It proposes that these impersonal pronouns do not convey 1st person plural, but rather a silent WE pronoun present in the syntax does. The chapter analyzes which element (WE o impersonal clitic) is responsible for a variety of syntactic phenomena.Less
In order to account for morphosyntactic microvariation, an approach based on silent elements provides an alternative (one that is more tightly tied to other aspects of syntax) to an approach based on syncretism: languages are not more or less syncretic, they just happen to have a certain distribution of empty morphemes. This chapter analyses cases of 3rd person clitics in French and Italian (on, ci), which, in addition to their impersonal use, are also used as 1st person plural pronouns. It proposes that these impersonal pronouns do not convey 1st person plural, but rather a silent WE pronoun present in the syntax does. The chapter analyzes which element (WE o impersonal clitic) is responsible for a variety of syntactic phenomena.
