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In:Italian Dialectology at the Interfaces
Edited by Silvio Cruschina, Adam Ledgeway and Eva-Maria Remberger
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 251] 2019
► pp. 203–236

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A person split analysis of the progressive forms in some southern Italian varieties

 | Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and theoretical Syntax (NEtS), IUSS Pavia
Published online: 5 February 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/la.251.10lor
Abstract
This paper explores the distribution of finite and non-finite constructions in the progressive periphrasis of (southeastern) Apulian varieties. The periphrases are formed by an inflected stay auxiliary, an optional connecting element a (=to) and an embedded verb which can be inflected or uninflected. Since progressives are commonly realized as locative constructions crosslinguistically (Bybee, Perkins and Pagliuca 1994), we propose a unique locative-like structure for both inflected and uninflected constructions. They differ for their aspectual interpretation: only uninflected progressives allow frequentative readings (Chierchia 1995). In some varieties, the 1st and 2nd plural persons cannot be found in the inflected periphrasis but they allow only the infinitive (uninflected) counterpart. This is due to the referential complexity of the 1st and 2nd plural persons.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The distribution of aspectual inflected constructions
    • 2.1The progressive constructions with finite verbs in the Apulian varieties
  • 3.The progressives as uaccusative constructions
    • 3.1The progressives as locative construction
    • 3.2The progressives as non-locative construction
  • 4.Syntactic analysis of the progressive inflected constructions
    • 4.1The uninflected progressive constructions
  • 5.Aspectual analysis of the inflected and non-inflected progressive constructions
  • 6.Person split in the inflected progressive constructions
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
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Cited by one other publication

Manzini, M. Rita & Paolo Lorusso
2022. A bisentential syntax for a/bare finite complements in South Italian varieties. In Pseudo-Coordination and Multiple Agreement Constructions [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 274], ► pp. 65 ff. DOI logo

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