Romance pronominal clitics as pure heads

Abstract

Romance clitics are currently accounted for as DP arguments moved to functional head positions or as functional heads (AccVoice, etc.) licensing pro-DPs in argument position. I take the view that clitics are first merged as heads, projecting independently motivated categories on the functional spine of the sentence (φP, ApplP). I argue that they can satisfy theta relations without need for a pro associate. From an empirical point of view, a pure head syntax for clitics is favoured in explaining the asymmetries between clitics and phrases, found in several syntactically relevant domains (order, agreement, case). I show how the hypothesis that clitics are functional heads derives the internal order of the clitic string, which does not necessarily match (or mirror) that of phrasal constituents. I also consider agreement asymmetries (perfect participle agreement) and case asymmetries (in relation to Differential Object Marking).

The clitic string as a Pair Merge sequence

“…Steps towards a pure head syntax for clitics have occasionally been taken in the literature, but they yield only partially satisfactory insights into clitics. Manzini (2022), updating Manzini and Savoia (2005), cf. also Manzini and Savoia (2017), assumes that clitics are heads throughout the derivation.…”

“…In this article, we model the clitic cluster as a Pair Merge sequence, where each member of the sequence is formed by a clitic head and a link v (but see section 4 for a revision). We adopt the conclusion of Manzini and Savoia (2017), Manzini (2022), reviewed in section 2.2.…”

“…The traditional reasons are reviewed in the literature quoted in fn 2 (Rizzi 1986). Manzini (2022) has a critical discussion of this evidence. Discussing this issue here would take us too far afield; the redefinition of the EPP by Chomsky (2015), cf.…”

The interrelation between syntax and function of Old Church Slavonic bo, že, li

“…The literature on clitics is incredibly vast: for a bibliography see Nevis et al (1994) and Janse (1994); for an overview in Indo-European languages, see Veksina (2008) and Walkden (2020). Much work has been devoted to this topic in the framework of formal syntax as well, particularly on Romance and Slavic languages (see respectively, e.g., Manzini 2022 andFranks, King 2000).…”