In:Historical Linguistics 2017: Selected papers from the 23rd International Conference on Historical Linguistics, San Antonio, Texas, 31 July – 4 August 2017
Edited by Bridget Drinka
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 350] 2020
► pp. 109–142
The actualization of new voice patterns in Romance
Persistence in diversity
Published online: 9 July 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.350.06cen
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.350.06cen
Abstract
This article discusses some aspects of the reorganization of voice distinctions in the transition from Latin to
Romance, namely the grammaticalization of activity (do / make) and change of state (become) verbs as markers of the
passive voice, and the reanalysis of the reflexive morpheme se as a voice modulator, focussing on patterns of invariance
(i.e., persistence) of Latin inheritance and principled differences (i.e., divergence) in the type and extent of variation and further
developments in this area of Romance morphosyntax.
Keywords: voice, passive, reflexive, light verb, auxiliary
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Voice in the transition to Romance
- 2.1Restructuring of the voice system and changes in the referential domain of se in Late Latin
- 2.1.1Reflexives
- 2.1.2The extension of the active voice into the realm of the passive
- 2.1.3Passivization and deponentization
- 2.2Equivalences among voice forms and changes in argument linking / marking
- 2.3Changes in the referential domain of se
- 2.1Restructuring of the voice system and changes in the referential domain of se in Late Latin
- 3.Steps in the auxiliarization of lexical verbs in the transition to Romance:
Fieri and facere
- 3.1 Fieri ‘become’ as a voice marker
- 3.2Latin antecedents of facere ‘do, make’ passive
- 3.3Grammaticalization paths in the rise of passive periphrases in Late Latin
- 4.Auxiliaries and voice in Old Italo-Romance
- 4.1*Fire ‘become’+ pp
- 4.2 Faker ‘make / do’+pp
- 5.The reanalysis of se as a voice modulator in early (Italo-)Romance and Old Logudorese Sardinian
- 5.1Old Venetian
- 5.2Old Lombard
- 5.3Old Florentine
- 5.4Old Neapolitan
- 5.5Old Logudorese Sardinian
- 5.6Summary
- 5.7The origin of impersonal / indefinite se in Italo-Romance
- 6.Conclusions
Acknowledgements Notes Abbreviations References Old Italian sources
References (108)
Adams, J. & Vincent, N. (Eds.). (2016). Early and late Latin: Continuity or change?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Andersen, H. (Ed.). (2001). Actualization: Linguistic change in progress. Amsterdam Studies in the Theory amd History of Linguistic Science Series 4. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(2001). Actualization and the (uni) directionality of change. In Henning Andersen (Ed.) Actualization: Linguistic change in progress. (pp. 225–248). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Barðdal, J. & Chelliah, S. (Eds). (2009). The role of semantic, pragmatic and discourse factors in the development of case. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Bassols de Climent, M. (1948). Sintaxis Històrica de la Lengua Latina. vol 2. Barcelona: Escuela de Filología.
Benincà, P., Ledgeway, A. & Vincent, N. (Eds.). (2014). Diachrony and dialects. Grammatical change in the dialects of Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bertinetto, P. M. & Squartini, M. (1995). An attempt at defining the class of gradual completion verbs. In P. M. Bertinetto (Ed.). Temporal reference, aspect and actionality. 1. Semantic and syntactic perspectives. (pp. 11–26). Torino: Rosenberg and Sellier.
Bertinetto, P. M. (Ed.). (2005). Temporal reference, aspect and actionality. 1. Semantic and syntactic perspectives. Torino: Rosenberg and Sellier.
Blasco Ferrer, E. (1995). Un passivo smarrito: fecit positum ‘venne assegnato. In C. Mastrelli (Ed.), Studi Linguistici per i 50 anni del Circolo Linguistico Fiorentino e i secondi Mille Dibattiti 1970–1995. (pp. 47–53). Firenze: Olschki.
Burton, P. (2016). Analytic passives and deponents in classical and later Latin. In J. Adams & N. Vincent (Eds.). Early and Late Latin: Continuity or change?. (pp. 163–179). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cennamo, M. (1991a). La nascita di un nuovo sistema di voce in italiano antico. In Dieter Kremer (ed.), Actes du VIIIe Congrès International de Linguistique et de Philologie Romanes, (pp. 242–262). Tübingen: Niemeyer.
(1991b).
Se, sibi, suus nelle Inscriptiones Latinae Christianae Veteres ed i successivi sviluppi
romanzi. Medioevo Romanzo 16.1 / 2. 3–20.
(1993b). L’estensione del dominio referenziale del riflessivo in testi italiani antichi. Archivio Glottologico Italiano 78.1. 53–62.
(1998). The loss of the voice dimension between Late Latin and early Romance. In M. Schmid, J. Austin & D. Stein (Eds.), Historical linguistics 1997. (pp. 81–100). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
(1999). Late Latin pleonastic reflexives and the Unaccusativity Hypothesis. Transactionsof the Philological Society 97.1. 103–150..
(2000). Costruzioni passive e impersonali in Veneziano e in Napoletano antico. In A. Englebert, M. Perrard, L. Rosier, & D. Van Raemdonck (Eds.), Actes du XXIIe Congrès International de Linguistique et Philologie Romanes (Bruxelles, 23–29 July 1998), vol. 2: Les Nouvelles Ambitions de la Linguistique Diacronique, (pp. 91–103). Tübingen: Niemeyer.
(2001a). L’extended accusative e le nozioni di voce e relazione grammaticale nel latino tardo e medievale. In V. Viparelli (Ed.), Ricerche linguistiche tra antico e moderno, (pp. 3–27). Naples: Liguori.
(2001b). On the reorganization of voice distinctions and grammatical relations between Late Latin and early
Romance. In Claude Moussy (Ed.), De Lingua Latina Novae Quaestiones, Actes du Xè Colloque International de Linguistique Latine. (pp. 51–65). Paris: Peeters.
(2001c). Classi verbali e cambiamento sintattico: la reinterpretazione passiva del costrutto riflessivo. In Z. Fábián & G. Salvi (Eds.), Atti del XXXII Congresso Internazionale della Società di Linguistica Italiana. (pp. 225–242). Rome: Bulzoni.
(2003). Perifrasi passive in testi non toscani delle origini. In N. Maraschio & T. Poggi Salani (Eds.), Italia linguistica anno mille, Italia linguistica anno Duemila, Atti del XXXIV Congresso della Società di Linguistica
Italiana, 105–127. Rome: Bulzoni.
(2005). Passive auxiliaries in Late Latin. In S. Kiss & G. Salvi (Eds.). Études de Linguistique offertes à Jôzsef Herman à l’occasion de son 80ième anniversaire. (pp. 179–196). Tübingen: Niemeyer.
(2006). The rise and grammaticalization paths of Latin fieri and facere as passive
Auxiliaries. In W. Abraham & L. Leisiö (Eds.). Passivization and typology. (p. 311–336). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
(2007). Auxiliaries and serials between Late Latin and early Romance. In D. Bentley & A. Ledgeway (Eds.). Sui Dialetti Italoromanzi. Saggi in onore di Nigel B. Vincent. The Italianist, special supplement 1. 63–87.
(2008). The rise and development of analytic perfects in Italo-Romance. In T. Eythórsson (Ed.), Grammatical Change and Linguistic Theory. The Rosendal Papers, (pp.115-142). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
(2009). Argument structure and alignment variation and changes in Late Latin. In J. Barðdal & S. Chelliah (Eds). The role of semantic, pragmatic and discourse factors in the development of case. (pp. 307–346). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
(2011a). Impersonal constructions and accusative subjects in Late Latin. In A. Malchukov & A. Siewierska (Eds.), Impersonal constructions. A cross-linguistic perspective. (pp. 169–188). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
(2011b). Case marking of core arguments and alignment in Late Latin. In M. Fruyt, M. Mazoyer & D. Pardee (Eds). Grammatical case in the languages of the Middle East and Europe. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 64, (pp. 297–314). Chicago: The Oriental Institure of the University of Chicago.
(2014). Passive and impersonal reflexives in the Italian dialects. Synchronic and diachronic aspects. In P. Benincà, A. Ledgeway & N. Vincent (Eds.), Diachrony and dialects. Grammatical change in the dialects of Italy. (pp. 71–95). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(2016). Voice. In M. Maiden & A. Ledgeway (Eds.), The Oxford Guide to the Romance Languages, (pp. 967–980). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(2018). Grammaticalization and changes in argument linking: A case-study from old Logudorese Sardinian. In M. Chini & P. Cuzzolin (Eds.), Tipologia, acquisizione, grammaticalizzazione – Typology, acquisition, grammaticalization studies, (pp. 96–117). Milan: FrancoAngeli.
(2019a). Aspects of grammaticalization and reanalysis in the voice domain in the transition from Latin to early
Italo-Romance. In L. Heltoft, I. Igartua, B. Joseph, K. Kragh, & L. Schøsler (Eds.). Perspectives on Language Structure and Language Change. (pp. 205–232). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
(2019b). Intransitive alternations and the semantics of predicates in Latin. In P. Cotticelli Kurras & S. Ziegler (Eds.), Tra Semantica e Sintassi: il Ruolo della Linguistica Storica, (pp. 1-31). Rome: Il Calamo.
(2020). Mechanisms and paths of grammaticalization and reanalysis in Romance. In W. Bisang & A. Malchukov (Eds.), Grammaticalization scenarios. areal patterns and cross- linguistic variation. A comparative handbook. Berlin: De Gruyter.
Cennamo, M., Eythórsson, T. & J. Barðdal (Eds.). (2015). Anticausatives in Latin and Old- Norse Icelandic: (Morpho)syntactic aspects and semantic constraints. Linguistics 53.4. 1–53.
Danckaert, L. (2016). Variation and change in Latin be-periphrases: Empirical and methodological
considerations. In J. Adams & N. Vincent (Eds.). Early and Late Latin: Continuity or change? (pp. 132–162). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
(2017). The origins of the Romance analytic passive: Evidence from word order. In E. Mathieu & R. Truswell (Eds.). Micro-change and macro-change in diachronic syntax. (pp. 216–235). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
De Melo, W. (2012). Kuryłowicz’s first “law of analogy” and the development of passiv periphrases in Latin. In P. Probert & A. Willi (Eds). Laws and Rules in Indo-European. (pp. 83–101). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dik, S. (1987). Copula auxiliarization: how and why?. In Martin Harris & Paolo Ramat (Eds.), Historical development of auxiliaries, (pp. 54–84). Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.
Flobert, P. (1975). Les verbes déponents latins des origines à Charlemagne. Paris: Les Belles Lettres.
Giacalone Ramat, A. & Sansò, A. (2011). From passive to impersonal. A case study from Italian and its implications. In: A. Malchukov & A. Siewierska (Eds.). Impersonal constructions. A cross-linguistic perspective, (pp. 189–228). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Green, J. (1982). The status of the Romance auxiliaries of voice. In N. Vincent & M. Harris (Eds.). Studies in the Romance verb. (pp. 97–138). London: Croom Helm.
Hageman, K. (2006). The Latin synthetic passive in the Códice Emilianense. Romansk Forum 20.2. 91–102.
Harris, A. & Campbell, L. (1995). Historical syntax in cross-linguistic perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Haspelmath, M. (1987). Transitivity alternations of the anticausative type. Köln: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft. Universität zu Köln. (Arbeitspapiere N.F. 5).
(2011). On S, A, P, T, and R as comparative concepts for alignment typology. Linguistic Typology 15.3. 535–689.
Hay, J., Kennedy, C. & Levin, B. (1999). Scale structure underlies telicity in ‘degree achievements’. In T. Mathews and D. Strolovitch (eds.), Semantics and Linguistic Theory 9, 127–144. Ithaca, NY: CLC Publications.
Heine, B. & Reh, M. (1982). Grammaticalization and reanalysis in African languages. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag.
Heine, B. (1993). Auxiliaries: Cognitive forces and grammaticalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Herman, J. (2002). La disparition du passif synthétique latin: nouvel essai sur l’écrit et le parlé en latin Mérovingien. Estudis romànics 24. 31–46.
Herzog, E. (1910). Das –to Partizip im Altromanischen. Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie 26. 76–186.
Lehmann, Christian. (1988). Predicate classes and participation. Studies in General Comparative Linguistics, 33–77. Köln: Akup.
Ledgeway, A. (2009). Grammatica diacronica del napoletano. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie 350. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
Malchukov, A. & Siewierska, A. (Eds.). (2011). Impersonal constructions. A cross-linguistic perspective. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Manzini, R. & Savoia, L. (2005). I dialetti italiani e romanci, vol. 2. Alessandria: Edizioni Dell’Orso.
Meyer-Lübke, W. (1902). Zur Kenntniss der Altlogudoresischen. Wien: Sitzungsberichte der Kais. Akademie der Wissenschaften. Band CXLV.
Michaelis, Susanne. (1998). Antikausativ als Brücke zum Passiv: fieri, venire und se im
Vulgärlateinische und Altitalienischen. In W. Dahmen, G. Holtus & J. Kramer (Eds.). Neuere Beschreibungsmethoden der Syntax romanischen Sprachen. (pp. 69–98). Tübingen: Narr.
Pinkster, H. (2015). The Oxford Latin syntax. Vol. 1. The simple clause. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pirson, J. (1901). La langue des inscriptions latines de la Gaule. Bibliothèque de la Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres de l’Université de Liège, fasc. XI.
(1906). Mulomedichina Chironis. La syntaxe du verbe. Festschrift zum Allgemeinen Deutschen Neuphilologentage, Erlangen, 390–431.
Pountain, C. (1982). *Essere / Stare as a Romance phenomenon. In N. Vincent & M. Harris (Eds.). Studies in the Romance verb, (pp. 139–60). London: Croom Helm.
Probert, P. & Willi, A. (Eds). (2012). Laws and rules in Indo-European. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Reichenkron, G. (1933). Passivum, Medium und Reflexivum in den romanischen Sprachen, Jena / Leipzig: Gronau (Berliner Beiträge zur romanischen Philologie III.1).
Salvi, G. (1988). La frase semplice. In L. Renzi (Ed.), Grande grammatica italiana di consultazione, vol. 1, (pp. 29–113). Bologna: Il Mulino.
(2010). La realizzazione sintattica della struttura argomentale. In G. Salvi & L. Renzi (Eds.). Grammatica dell’Italiano Antico, vol. I, (pp. 123–189). Bologna: Il Mulino.
Svennung, J. (1935). Untersuchungen zu Palladius und zur Lateinischen Fach- und Volkssprache. Uppsala: Almquist.
Van Valin, R. (2005). Exploring the syntax-semantics interface. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vincent, N. (1987). The interaction between periphrases and inflection: some Romance examples. In M. Harris & P. Ramat (Eds.). Historical development of auxiliaries. (pp. 237–256). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Bonvesin, Disputatio = Disputatio musce cum formica. In G. Contini (Ed.). (1937). Cinque Volgari di Bonvesin da la Riva (pp. 27–40). Modena: Società Tipografica Modenese.
Bonvesin, De quinq. curial. = De quinquaginta curialitatibus ad mensam. In G. Contini, (Ed.). (1937). Cinque Volgari di Bonvesin da la Riva. (pp. 41–44). Modena: Società Tipografica Modenese.
Capitolare = Princivalli, A. & Ortalli, G. (Eds.). (1993). Il Capitolare degli Ufficiali sopra Rialto. Nei luoghi al centro del sistema economico veneziano (secoli XIII-XIV). Milan: La Storia.
Cedola di Marco Granello = Cedola di Marco Granello. In A. Stussi (Ed.). (1965). Testi veneziani del Duecento e dei primi del Trecento. (pp. 36–40). Pisa: Nistri-Lischi.
Cedola di Marco Michel = Cedola di Marco Michel. In A. Stussi (Ed.). (1965). Testi veneziani del Duecento e dei primi del Trecento. (pp. 111–22). Pisa: Nistri-Lischi.
Compagnia di S. M. del Carmine = Libro degli ordinamenti della Compagnia di Santa Maria del Carmine. In A. Schiaffini (Ed.). (1926). Testi fiorentini del Dugento e dei primi del Trecento. (pp. 55–72). Florence: Sansoni.
Cronica = Ceruti, A. (Ed.). (1878). Cronica degli Imperadori. Archivio Glottologico Italiano 3: 177–243.
Cronica fior. = Cronica Fiorentina. In A. Schiaffini (Ed.). (1926). Testi fiorentini del Dugento e dei primi del Trecento. (pp. 82–150). Florence: Sansoni.
CSPS = Delogu, I. (Ed.). (1997). Il Condaghe di San Pietro di Silki. Testo Logudorese Inedito dei Secoli XI-XIII. Sassari: Dess.
CV = Solmi, A. (1905). Le carte volgari dell’Archivio Arcivescovile di Cagliari: Testi campidanesi dei secoli XI–XIII. Archivio Storico 35.238: 273–330.
Dante, Inf. = Petrocchi, G. (Ed.). (1966). Dante Alighieri, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata, vol. II Inferno. Milan: Mondadori.
Grisostomo = Forster, W. (Ed.). (1880-1883). Antica parafrasi lombarda del <<Neminem laedi nisi a se ipso>> di S. Giovanni
Grisostomo’, Archivio Glottologico Italiano 7: 1–120.
Destructione de Troya = De Blasi, N. (Ed.). (1986). Libro de la Destructione de Troya. Volgarizzamento Napoletano Trecentesco da Guido delle Colonne. Rome: Bonacci.
Distruzione di Troia = Libro della distruzione di Troia (Da un). In A. Schiaffini (Ed.). (1926). Testi fiorentini del Dugento e dei primi del Trecento. (pp. 151–184). Florence: Sansoni.
Milione = Bertolucci Pizzorusso, V. (Ed.). (1975). Il Milione di Marco Polo (versione toscana del Trecento). Milan: Adelphi.
Panfilo = Tobler, A. (Ed.). (1886). Il Panfilo in antico veneziano. Archivio Glottologico Italiano 10: 179–243.
Passione = Salvioni, C. (Ed.). (1886). La Passione e altre antiche scritture Lombarde. Archivio Glottologico Italiano 9: 1–22.
Ricordi = Ricordi di compere e cambi di terre in Val di Streda e dintorni. In A. Castellani (Ed.). (1982). La prosa italiana delle origini: I, Testi toscani di carattere pratico. (pp. 215–254). Bologna: Pàtron.
Cited by (21)
Cited by 21 other publications
Chilà, Annamaria & Alessandro De Angelis
Chilà, Annamaria & Alessandro De Angelis
Inglese, Guglielmo
Inglese, Guglielmo & Jean-Christophe Verstraete
Cennamo, Michela & Claudia Fabrizio
Cotticelli, Paola & Eystein Dahl
Dahl, Eystein
Dahl, Eystein
Fabrizio, Claudia
Hock, Hans Henrich
Luraghi, Silvia & Guglielmo Inglese
Melis, Chantal
Meyer, Robin
Seržant, Ilja A., Björn Wiemer, Eleni Bužarovska, Martina Ivanová, Maxim Makartsev, Stefan Savić, Dmitri Sitchinava, Karolína Skwarska & Mladen Uhlik
Luraghi, Silvia, Guglielmo Inglese & Daniel Kölligan
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 6 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
