Latin as an SDOV Language: The Evidence from Cicero
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Charles Eleric
Abstract
Both statistical and non-statistical analysis supports a claim that the Latin of Cicero is SDOV. Of 24 bitransitive strings from a representative sample, 21 show either the SDOV order or its common alternate SODV, or are principled departures from these orders, generally from SDOV. SDOV is the rule in clauses that are (1) discourse neutral, that (2) present special discourse challanges either because they involve gapped constituents or are expecially long, or that (3) have verbs of transfer that are lexically marked, e.g. donare 'gift with'. But those few clauses that do depart radically from the SDOV order, e.g. VOD, VDO, DVO, are always short, simplex, well contexted, and semantically simple. The 42 unitransitive clauses from Cat.l. that manifest three nuclear constituents are distributed as follows: 26 SOV, 12 OSV, 2 each SVO and OVS. This in conjunction with the SDOV data confirm the validity of the unitransitive-bitransitive entailment principle (SDOV=SOV) of Blansitt (1973) for this variety of Latin. The Latin of Cicero has a much more rigid word order than generally thought. An understanding of the constraints serves to establish a point of departure for the further study of the NP displacement system of Latin and of word order in other varieties.
© 2013 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Gvaltharivs Calboli lectori S.P.D.
- Latin as an SDOV Language: The Evidence from Cicero
- On the Concept of Transitivity in Greek and Latin Grammars
- The Discontinuity of NP in the Latin Sentence: An Attempt of Interpretation
- Nominalization and Possessives in Latin
- The Expansion of One Latin NP into Two Clauses: From Indo-European to Romance
- A Categorial Approach to Latin Syntax
- Computer Aided Analysis of Classical Texts
- Les énoncés génériques et la 'consecutio temporum'
- Azioni, 'Aktionsarten', Risultati
- Zur Beziehung zwischen Kasus, Diathese und Referenz
- Author Index
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Gvaltharivs Calboli lectori S.P.D.
- Latin as an SDOV Language: The Evidence from Cicero
- On the Concept of Transitivity in Greek and Latin Grammars
- The Discontinuity of NP in the Latin Sentence: An Attempt of Interpretation
- Nominalization and Possessives in Latin
- The Expansion of One Latin NP into Two Clauses: From Indo-European to Romance
- A Categorial Approach to Latin Syntax
- Computer Aided Analysis of Classical Texts
- Les énoncés génériques et la 'consecutio temporum'
- Azioni, 'Aktionsarten', Risultati
- Zur Beziehung zwischen Kasus, Diathese und Referenz
- Author Index
