Contraction ofESTin Latin

Abstract

The paper analyses the contraction of est (‐st). This phenomenon is generally known as ‘prodelision’ or ‘aphaeresis’ and is considered a metrical sandhi phenomenon, graphically expressed only in early Latin texts. After the introduction (1), the paper presents the first systematic collection of the evidence for this form (2), followed by a phonological discussion (3), and by the conclusions (4), which aim to show that this was a more complex and widespread phenomenon than is normally believed, and to introduce its significance for other general linguistic topics such as cliticisation, the semantics of sum, and the position of the Latin verb in the clause.1

The origins of the Romance analytic passive: Evidence from word order

“…More specifically, I assume a lexical split between a strong (phonological independent) and a weak variant of BE. 11 The strong variant, which is the same 11 Note that the phonological weakening of BE which I am about to analyse is different from (i) BE-contraction of the type described in Pezzini (2011), which only affects forms of esse with a vocalic onset and which is restricted to Archaic and early Classical Latin, as well as from (ii) certain (putative) 'second position' phenomena which have been analysed in terms of BE-cliticization (Adams 1994). as in earlier stages of the language, appears in contexts which are preserved in Romance, viz.…”

Vowel weakening in the Sabellic languages as language contact

“…13 The same raising is found in the possessive pronoun both in Latin suus and in Umbrian(Leumann 1977: 135; Meiser 1986: 116; Meiser 1998: 68, 159; Weiss 2009: 334). Reduction of 'to be' due to enclisis is also a characteristic of Latin(Pezzini 2011). Brought to you by | University of Cambridge Authenticated Download Date | 10/6/17 3:08 PM…”