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Article published In: Italo-Romance Morphosyntax: Theoretical and empirical issues
Edited by Francesco Maria Ciconte and Michela Cennamo
[Linguistic Variation 26:1] 2026
► pp. 203–220

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The syntax and pragmatics of clause-internal wh-phrases in Valdôtain Patois

ORCiD logo with link | University of Maryland | UMR 7320 — Bases, Corpus, Langage (CNRS & Université Côte d’Azur)
Published online: 31 July 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/lv.24061.lui
Abstract
In Valdôtain Patois, an understudied Francoprovençal language spoken in Aosta Valley (Italy), wh-phrases can either be fronted or occur clause-internally. In this paper, I analyze the syntax and pragmatics of clause internal wh-phrases, showing that they require to be either activated in the preceding linguistic context or inferable. Based on evidence from word order and parasitic gaps, I argue that in Valdôtain Patois clause-internal wh-phrases are not in-situ, but move to an A′-position at the edge of vP.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Clause internal wh-phrases in Valdôtain Patois
  • 3.The pragmatics of Valdôtain Patois CIwh-phrases
    • 3.1CIwh-phrases need to be activated
  • 4.CIwh-phrases: In situ or ex situ?
  • 5.Discussion
  • Notes
  • References
References (38)
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