On the syntactic encoding of lexical interjections in Italo-Romance
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Nicola Munaro
Abstract
Based on evidence from Italo-Romance, in this article I argue that lexical interjections can be split into three categories, depending on whether they must, they can or they cannot be integrated with the associated clause; the degree of integration with the co-occurring clause depends on the merge position of the interjection. Only interjections lexicalizing the functional head SpeechAct° represent autonomous linguistic acts and are therefore prosodically and syntactically independent from the associated clause; from this position they can attract the associated clause to the corresponding specifier position or raise to the adjacent head Speaker° in order to provide the necessary contextual anchoring. Interjections lexicalizing the lower projection EvalSP do not have these properties and are intrinsically discourse-linked.
Abstract
Based on evidence from Italo-Romance, in this article I argue that lexical interjections can be split into three categories, depending on whether they must, they can or they cannot be integrated with the associated clause; the degree of integration with the co-occurring clause depends on the merge position of the interjection. Only interjections lexicalizing the functional head SpeechAct° represent autonomous linguistic acts and are therefore prosodically and syntactically independent from the associated clause; from this position they can attract the associated clause to the corresponding specifier position or raise to the adjacent head Speaker° in order to provide the necessary contextual anchoring. Interjections lexicalizing the lower projection EvalSP do not have these properties and are intrinsically discourse-linked.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- The dialects of Italy at the interfaces 1
- Inflectional uniformity in the present subjunctive in the dialects of central Friuli 41
- The Inflected Construction in the dialects of Sicily 63
- Mixed paradigms in Italo-Romance 79
- Selection and morphology of expletive subject clitics in northern Italian dialects 101
- Can structural deficiency be parametrized? 113
- The morphosyntax-semantics interface and the Sicilian Doubly Inflected Construction 131
- Matrix complementizers in Italo-Romance 155
- On the syntactic encoding of lexical interjections in Italo-Romance 185
- A person split analysis of the progressive forms in some southern Italian varieties 203
- Contact-induced phenomena in the Alps 237
- N morphology and its interpretation 257
- Indefinite articles and licensing of nominals in two Slavic varieties 295
- Syntactic variation across Greek dialects 319
- Author index 357
- Language and place index 361
- Subject index 365
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- The dialects of Italy at the interfaces 1
- Inflectional uniformity in the present subjunctive in the dialects of central Friuli 41
- The Inflected Construction in the dialects of Sicily 63
- Mixed paradigms in Italo-Romance 79
- Selection and morphology of expletive subject clitics in northern Italian dialects 101
- Can structural deficiency be parametrized? 113
- The morphosyntax-semantics interface and the Sicilian Doubly Inflected Construction 131
- Matrix complementizers in Italo-Romance 155
- On the syntactic encoding of lexical interjections in Italo-Romance 185
- A person split analysis of the progressive forms in some southern Italian varieties 203
- Contact-induced phenomena in the Alps 237
- N morphology and its interpretation 257
- Indefinite articles and licensing of nominals in two Slavic varieties 295
- Syntactic variation across Greek dialects 319
- Author index 357
- Language and place index 361
- Subject index 365
