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Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language...
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Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective

A special issue of Languages (ISSN 2226-471X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 24111

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ángel Gallego

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Spanish Philology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Interests: formal syntax; linguistic variation; geolinguistics
Dr. Bruno Camus

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Hispanic and Classical Philology, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda. Camilo José Cela, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Interests: Spanish morphology; Spanish in contact; Spanish varieties; Spanish historical syntax
Dr. Ricardo Etxepare

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre de recherche sur la langue et les textes basques (IKER), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), France
Interests: formal syntax; linguistic variation; language contact
Dr. Iván Ortega-Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of World Languages and Literatures, University of Memphis, Jones Hall 201H, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
Interests: theoretical syntax; experimental syntax; dialectology
Dr. Diego Pescarini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), France
Interests: syntax; historical linguistics; Romance linguistics
Dr. Francesc Roca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Philology and Communication, University of Girona, Plaça Ferrater Mora 1, 17004 Girona, Spain
Interests: syntax; linguistic variation; dialectology
Dr. Juan Uriagereka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Linguistics, University of Maryland, 1401 Marie Mount Hall, College Park, MD 20742-7505, USA
Interests: syntax; linguistic variation
Dr. Greta Mazzaggio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute des sciences de la communication et de la cognition, Université de Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Interests: pragmatics; psycholinguistics; language acquisition; morphosyntax

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, most work on language variation, and especially on language contact may be phrased in terms of E-language correspondences. There are case studies in which the borrowing parameter is defined in terms of morphemes, constructions, or other superficial categories belonging to the domain of the immediately visible—putting more complex (and abstract) levels of analysis to the side. The notions of “similarity,” “convergence” and “parameter setting” through exposure to specific inputs are deeply rooted in E-language (descriptive, observable) notions.

This Special Issue seeks contributions that explore syntactic phenomena falling within any of these two areas of inquiry (language contact and language variation) from an I-language perspective (sensu Chomsky 1986)—that is, by focusing on the aspects of the individual-internal knowledge that is responsible for the relevant variation (a)symmetries when these are due to contact situations.

Methodologically, we especially encourage submissions that focus on data from European varieties of Spanish in contact with other languages (Iberian ones, but also those resulting from immigration). We are also interested in phenomena from other varieties of Spanish and Romance languages in general in analogous situations.

Please submit a 500 word abstract for original original contributions; email both the Guest editors, as indicated above and the journal ([email protected])

Dr. Ángel Gallego
Dr. Bruno Camus
Dr. Ricardo Etxepare
Dr. Iván Ortega-Santos
Dr. Diego Pescarini
Dr. Francesc Roca
Dr. Juan Uriagereka
Dr. Greta Mazzaggio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • language contact
  • language acquisition
  • I-language
  • bilingualism
  • multilingualism
  • linguistic variation
  • syntax
  • micro/macroparameters
  • attrition
  • heritage language

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1328 KiB  
Article
A Note on Parameter Setting in Contact Situations
by Ricardo Etxepare and Ángel J. Gallego
Languages 2022, 7(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7010034 - 14 Feb 2022
Viewed by 2186
Abstract
This paper revisits the study of linguistic variation within the Government and Binding approach to parameters, pointing out some limitations of parameter schemata in language contact scenarios. Discussion is focused on the possibility that clustering effects (the schemata themselves) are more complex than [...] Read more.
This paper revisits the study of linguistic variation within the Government and Binding approach to parameters, pointing out some limitations of parameter schemata in language contact scenarios. Discussion is focused on the possibility that clustering effects (the schemata themselves) are more complex than conventional approaches suggest. We outline an alternative approach, directly connected to Uriagereka’s typology or parameters, which is itself based on Chomsky’s Theory of Formal Languages. Empirically, we focus on language contact situations, as they provide cases where variation by contact operates under what we call an Excess of Stimulus, whereby access to the relevant data is overwhelming, but somehow ignored by learners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
20 pages, 958 KiB  
Article
Romance and Croatian in Contact: Non-Clitic Auxiliaries in Istro-Romanian
by Adina Dragomirescu and Alexandru Nicolae
Languages 2021, 6(4), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6040187 - 13 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3696
Abstract
This paper focuses on Istro-Romanian and argues that the TAM auxiliaries of this variety are not morphophonological clitics. This analysis is supported by the existence of several empirical phenomena (auxiliary-licensed VP-ellipsis, scrambling, and interpolation), some not found in modern Romance, others very rare [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on Istro-Romanian and argues that the TAM auxiliaries of this variety are not morphophonological clitics. This analysis is supported by the existence of several empirical phenomena (auxiliary-licensed VP-ellipsis, scrambling, and interpolation), some not found in modern Romance, others very rare in modern Romance. This property of Istro-Romanian auxiliary verbs accounts, in conjunction with other features of this variety (e.g., the availability of C-oriented and I-oriented pronominal clitics), for the massive variation in the word order of pronominal clitics, auxiliaries, and the lexical verb found in the Istro-Romanian sentential core. An endangered Romance variety spoken in Istria and in the diaspora, historically related to (Daco-)Romanian, Istro-Romanian has been in contact with Croatian since the settlement of Istro-Romanians in the Istrian peninsula. As some of the Istro-Romanian features and phenomena are found both in Croatian and in old Romanian, it appears that contact with Croatian acts as a catalyst of structural convergence engendering the retention of an archaic property of Istro-Romanian auxiliaries: a lower position on the grammaticalization cline, closer to the full word status of their etyma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
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13 pages, 367 KiB  
Article
Resilient Subject Agreement Morpho-Syntax in the Germanic Romance Contact Area
by Cecilia Poletto and Alessandra Tomaselli
Languages 2021, 6(3), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6030119 - 12 Jul 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2344
Abstract
In this work, we intend to investigate one fundamental aspect of language contact by comparing the distribution of subjects in German, Northern Italian dialects and Cimbrian. Here, we show that purely syntactic order phenomena are more prone to convergence, i.e., less resilient, while [...] Read more.
In this work, we intend to investigate one fundamental aspect of language contact by comparing the distribution of subjects in German, Northern Italian dialects and Cimbrian. Here, we show that purely syntactic order phenomena are more prone to convergence, i.e., less resilient, while phenomena that have a clearly identifiable morphological counterpart are more resilient. The empirical domain of investigation for our analysis is the morphosyntax of both nominal and pronominal subjects, the agreement pattern and their position in Cimbrian grammar. While agreement patterns display a highly conservative paradigm, the syntax of nominal (vP-peripheral and topicalized) subjects is innovative and mimics the Italian linear word order. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
13 pages, 671 KiB  
Article
Circumventing the ‘That-Trace’ Effect: Different Strategies between Germanic and Romance
by Andrea Padovan, Ermenegildo Bidese and Alessandra Tomaselli
Languages 2021, 6(2), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020084 - 11 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2785
Abstract
In our paper, we deal with the Germanic–Romance language contact, focusing on Cimbrian, a Germanic minority language spoken in Northern Italy. Specifically, we focus on the violation of the well-known that-trace filter, as it appears to be an interesting case of the superficial [...] Read more.
In our paper, we deal with the Germanic–Romance language contact, focusing on Cimbrian, a Germanic minority language spoken in Northern Italy. Specifically, we focus on the violation of the well-known that-trace filter, as it appears to be an interesting case of the superficial convergence that we ascribe to the status of T, which is either too rich (model language) or too weak (replica language) to represent a viable landing site for subject extraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
21 pages, 1347 KiB  
Article
Intraclade Contact from an I-Language Perspective. The Noun Phrase in the Ligurian/Occitan amphizone
by Diego Pescarini
Languages 2021, 6(2), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020077 - 21 Apr 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2527
Abstract
This article aims to compare some traits that characterise the syntax of the noun phrase in the Occitan/Ligurian amphizone (i.e., contact area) that lies at the border between southern France and northwestern Italy. The dialects spoken in this area differ in several syntactic [...] Read more.
This article aims to compare some traits that characterise the syntax of the noun phrase in the Occitan/Ligurian amphizone (i.e., contact area) that lies at the border between southern France and northwestern Italy. The dialects spoken in this area differ in several syntactic traits that emerged in a situation of contact between dialects of different subgroups (Ligurian and Occitan), two roofing languages (Italian and French), and regional contact languages such as Genoese. In particular, I will elaborate on the syntax of mass and indefinite plural nouns, on the co-occurrence of determiners and possessives, and on the syntax of kinship terms. From an I-language perspective, the fine variation observed at the Occitan/Ligurian border raises two types of research questions: (a) which comparative concepts best capture the observed variation; (b) whether intraclade contact (i.e., contact between languages of the same branch) can contribute relevant evidence and arguments to the debate concerning the biological endowment of the language faculty. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
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21 pages, 434 KiB  
Article
A Balkan View on the Left Periphery: Modal and Discourse Particles
by Anna Roussou
Languages 2021, 6(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020075 - 15 Apr 2021
Viewed by 2200
Abstract
The present paper discusses two sets of so-called particles in the Balkan languages, arguing that the correspondences attested in the E-languages reveal abstract properties at the level of the I-language. The first set involves modal particles which participate in the analytic expressions of [...] Read more.
The present paper discusses two sets of so-called particles in the Balkan languages, arguing that the correspondences attested in the E-languages reveal abstract properties at the level of the I-language. The first set involves modal particles which participate in the analytic expressions of the “future” and the “subjunctive”. Future markers are construed as V-related elements externalizing a scope position of the verb, while the subjunctive markers take their features from the nominal set. The second set of data involves the discourse marker “haide” which is argued to externalize features associated with the force of the sentence and its anchoring to the discourse participants. In the case of modal particles, the languages under consideration retain their own lexica, while in the case of the discourse marker, they share the same lexical item (lexical borrowing). Analysis of these phenomena supports an articulated left periphery which also accounts for the similar distribution of the discourse marker “haide”. At the same time, the different externalizations leave room for further microparametric variation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
21 pages, 2996 KiB  
Article
Modeling Syntactic Change under Contact: The Case of Italiot Greek
by Cristina Guardiano and Melita Stavrou
Languages 2021, 6(2), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020074 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2947
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate patterns of persistence and change affecting the syntax of nominal structures in Italiot Greek in comparison to Modern (and Ancient) Greek, and we explore the role of Southern Italo-Romance as a potential source of interference. Our aim is [...] Read more.
In this paper, we investigate patterns of persistence and change affecting the syntax of nominal structures in Italiot Greek in comparison to Modern (and Ancient) Greek, and we explore the role of Southern Italo-Romance as a potential source of interference. Our aim is to highlight the dynamics that favor syntactic contact in this domain: we provide an overview of the social context where these dynamics have taken place and of the linguistic structures involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
28 pages, 1516 KiB  
Article
Possessives, from Franco-Provençal and Occitan Systems to Contact Dialects in Apulia and Calabria
by Benedetta Baldi and Leonardo Maria Savoia
Languages 2021, 6(2), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020063 - 27 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3431
Abstract
This article investigates the contact-induced reorganization of the possessive system in the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken from around the 12th century in the villages of Celle and Faeto in North Apulia and Guardia Piemontese in North-West Calabria. Gallo-Romance possessives exclude the article in the [...] Read more.
This article investigates the contact-induced reorganization of the possessive system in the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken from around the 12th century in the villages of Celle and Faeto in North Apulia and Guardia Piemontese in North-West Calabria. Gallo-Romance possessives exclude the article in the prenominal position, whereas in the Southern Italian dialects, possessives follow the noun preceded by the definite article. This original contrast is no longer visible in the varieties of Celle, Faeto and Guardia which changed the original prenominal position to the postnominal position combining with the article, except with kinship terms, preserving the original prenominal position. At the heart of contact phenomena, there are bilingualism and transfer mechanisms between the languages included in the complex knowledge of the speaker, suggesting a test bed for the treatment of language variation and parameterization. We propose an account of morpho-syntactic and interpretive properties of possessives, making use of the insights from the comparison of contact systems with prenominal (Franco-Provençal and Occitan varieties) and postnominal (Southern Italian dialects) possessives. The final part examines the distribution of possessives, tracing it back to the definiteness properties of DP and proposes a phasal treatment based on syntactic and interpretive constraints. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Variation in Language Contact Situations.The view from an I-Language Perspective)
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