Concealed pseudo-clefts? Evidence from a Lombard dialect

Abstract

This paper focuses on the syntax of clefts in the Lombard dialect of Comun Nuovo (Bergamo). In this dialect, clefts are highly constrained (in particular, they are ungrammatical in questions) and, in the contexts where clefts and pseudo-clefts alternate, the distinction between the two is often blurred. We argue that Comunuovese clefts are better analysed as concealed pseudo-clefts (Paul 2001 a.o.).Abstract: This paper focuses on the syntax of clefts in the Lombard dialect of Comun Nuovo (Bergamo). In this dialect, clefts are highly constrained (in particular, they are ungrammatical in questions) and, in the contexts where clefts and pseudo-clefts alternate, the distinction between the two is often blurred. We argue that Comunuovese clefts are better analysed as concealed pseudo-clefts (Paul 2001 a.o.).