The Distribution of a Subject Clitic Pronoun in a Franco-Provençal Dialect and the Licensing of Pro

Article Article scientifique Article The Distribution of a Subject Clitic Pronoun in a Franco-Provençal Dialect and the Licensing of Pro eng 2003 author De Crousaz Isabelle 500430 author Shlonsky Ur 0000-0002-7147-4794 28090 413-442 10.1162/002438903322247542 0024-3892 We study the distribution of null subjects in one Franco-Provençal variety. These are possible in root declaratives, obligatory in embedded subject position, and impossible in root wh-questions as well as in the company of weather predicates. We approach null subjects indirectly, by investigating the distribution of one subject clitic, arguing that its optionality in some contexts is due to the possibility of moving pro to a peripheral topic position, where formal licensing is not required. We also discuss the circumstances in which an overt complementizer and a robustly inflected verb license pro, rendering the clitic redundant. The comparative interest of this dialect is that it reveals synchronically the three mechanisms of pro licensing available in Romance diachronically. These are (a) association with rich verbal inflection, (b) government by a complementizer, and (c) doubling by a clitic. We contend that the syntax is sensitive to the formal relationship between an XP and a head that these three mechanisms instantiate. Franco-Provençal Null subject Subject clitic Dewey 410 82 Département de linguistique 39 false Linguistic inquiry 34 3 7b70923d-31fc-41a7-b1cd-2cb1993aa736 Article (Published version) Public DeCrousazShlonsky.pdf 139714 application/pdf openAccess Faculté des lettres / Département de linguistique

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The Distribution of a Subject Clitic Pronoun in a Franco-Provençal Dialect and the Licensing of Pro	Linguistic inquiry			2003	705	805

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De Crousaz, Isabelle