Cecilia Poletto
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 1453370 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Cecilia Poletto |
| PRENOMES | Cecilia |
| SOBRENOME | Poletto |
| ASSINATURA | POLETTO C |
| AFILIAÇÕES | Goethe University Frankfurt |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4778-0812 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 29 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 53 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 28 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 1 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2000 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 4 |
There Is no First Phase of the Jespersen Cycle 1
This paper challenges the traditional conception of the Jespersen Cycle by arguing that no ‘pure’ first phase of the cycle exists where a single negator operates without reinforcement. Drawing on historical data from Northern Italian dialects (Piedmontese, Lombard, Emilian), we demonstrate that emphatic negative structures systematically co‐exist with plain negators from the earliest attestations of each variety. These emphatic forms serve distin…
The correlation of micro-cues
This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.The purpose of this paper is to test the correlation between V2 word order and its presumed micro-cues. Micro-cues are structural manifestations that have been suggested to associate to a syntactic phenomenon, making its organization and acquisition accessible to users and learners. Three micro-cues of declining Medieval French V2 identified in the literature are tested…
A long farewell
The verb second word order (V2) is known to have been present in some Medieval Romance languages, and to have been lost. The loss is however a gradual process that we propose to relate to the decreasing height of the verb movement in the left periphery through the Medieval period: whereas in the initial period the verb could move to a high position (CP Topic/Focus projection), in the final period only lower peripheral positions are accessible. Th…
On postverbal subjects in Old Venetian
Postverbal subjects occupy different positions across languages, as they can result from V-to-C movement (e.g., German) or from the subject remaining low (e.g., Italian), either in a thematic or low focus position. We test postverbal subjects in Old Venetian and show that their frequency increases in (i) main clauses, and (ii) unaccusative/predicative/passive verbs. Postverbal pronominal subjects exclusively increase under (i), postverbal non-pro…
Living on the Edge. On Bare and Non-Bare NCIs across Italo-Romance
This article describes and discusses some properties of the distribution of Negative Concord Items (NCIs) in the Italo-Romance domain, taking into account both varieties of Italian and varieties of other Italo-Romance languages. More precisely, the authors examine non-negative contexts, which allow the presence of NCIs. Across all non-negative contexts, bare/pronominal NCIs are systematically allowed in more contexts than complex ones, modulo the…
Towards a Typology of wh-Doubling in Northern Italian Dialects
In this work we examine the distribution of wh-in-situ and short (i.e., clause internal) wh-doubling in Northern Italian dialects with the purpose of showing that wh-in-situ and wh-doubling are not unitary phenomena, since they are subject to different distributional properties across dialects. We show that wh-doubling cannot be reduced to a single analysis but rather corresponds to a family of phenomena which have in common the basic procedure o…
Indefinite Objects in Micro‐variation. A Cross‐linguistic Analysis of the Distribution of Partitives Articles, Bare Nominals and Definite Determiners in Northern Italy
This contribution focuses on indefinite arguments in object position. We address this topic from the point of view of the crosslinguistic variation within the Romance continuum, especially looking at Northern Italian Dialects (NIDs). The target is to describe the distribution of the different possible realizations of this kind of arguments in this area by means of an in‐depth analysis of the data coming from the ASIt database and from three new f…
Partitive Articles and Indefinites, Micro and Macrovariation
This introductory paper provides an overview of the main phenomena investigated in this Special Issue, such as the relation between the encoding of indefinites and the presence of genitive and definite markers, the relation between partitivity and indefiniteness and the distribution of these phenomena in minority, or “micro”, varieties – such as Italian dialects, Galloromance varieties, North and South Saami – compared to the distribution of the …
Resilient grammars
In this work we consider some residual cases of OV order in Cimbrian and show that this is due to the interaction between verb movement, a language specific property, and the syntax of bare quantifiers. This has consequences on a general theory on the change of the basic word order, since it shows that the passage from OV to VO can involve different structures in different languages depending on other properties, hence it is not possible to trace…
Resilient Subject Agreement Morpho-Syntax in the Germanic Romance Contact Area
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 …
The Possible Positioning of Negation
This chapter deals with movements of sentential negative markers from one negative position to another and puts forth the idea that there is a relation between the position of the negative marker and its etymology. It argues that negative markers target positions that are located in three areas of the clause where operator-like elements move (either quantifiers or focused or wh-items) or argumental clitics. It also shows that there is no link bet…
Does prosody meet syntax? A case study on standard Italian cleft sentences and left peripheral focus
In this work we deal with two structures that have a very similar pragmatic function in Italian and have been claimed to have similar semantic and syntactic properties, namely clefts and left peripheral focus. Since Chomsky (1977. On wh-movement. In Peter W. Culicover, Thomas Wasow & Adrian Akmajian (eds.), Formal Syntax , 71–132. New York: Academic Press.) they have been both considered as instances of A’-movement and should therefore behave ali…
Partitive objects in negative contexts in Northern Italian Dialects
In this article we analyze partitive objects under negation (NPOs) in the Northern Italian dialectal (NID) domain and discuss their diachronic and synchronic relation with both partitive constructions and partitive articles. We take into exam the areal distribution of the phenomenon, its syntactic variation and the different factors that regulate this variation. The main claim of the paper is that NPOs in the NIDs are a special type of grammatica…
More than one way out
In this article I will show that there is not a single diachronic path that leads to the loss of the verb second property so that different languages can have different ways towards a non V2 grammar. I will also show that the progressive loss of subject inversion contexts is not the only factor that played a role in the change, because there are V2 languages in which nominal subject inversion was never attested but they are still V2, i.e. they ha…
On relative complementizers and relative pronouns
This paper explores the syntactic status ofcheand (il)qual(e) relativizers, i.e. what are standardly referred to as relative complementizers and relative pronouns, in Old and Modern Italian and Italian varieties and proposes a unified analysis for both types of items. It takes into account the ongoing debate regarding the categorial status of relativizers (Kayne 1975,2008,2010;Lehmann 1984;Manzini & Savoia 2003,2011, among many others) and aims a…
Subject Clitics and (Complex) Inversion
In this work, we will first examine the intricate properties of the bafflingly rich syntax of French interrogatives, which display a complex set of restrictions on different types of subjects. We will start off by taking advantage of a set of tests going back to early generative work by R. Kayne showing that the DP subject position in complex inversion (CI) constructions is not to be analyzed as a left dislocation. We will show further that the o…
How bare are bare quantifiers
In this article we analyze the internal structure of bare universal and negative quantifiers in Italian varieties, taking into consideration both synchronic and diachronic variation. It is proposed that bare quantifiers are not standard QPs with a null DP restrictor, but deficient items where the Q-portion is paired with a classifier expressing the [+/− human]-feature, more specifically a special type of light noun. Items of this type are overtly…
The dynamics of the PF interface
Emphasis as reduplication
Functional Heads
Quantifiers as negative markers in Italian dialects
In this work we consider the diachronic development of two distinct types of negative markers, those originally stemming from minimizers (m-negation) and those originally deriving from a negative quantifier (q-negation). We provide evidence in favor of the hypothesis that, despite appearances, they do not follow the same grammaticalization path. We claim that the distinct syntactic position of the two types of negation in the modern dialects depe…
On the diachronic origin of sentential particles in North-Eastern Italian dialects
In this article we try to determine the diachronic origin of a few sentential particles attested in some North-Eastern Italian dialects on the basis of their syntactic properties. The particles we consider are associated with specific clause types and can only appear in matrix non-declarative clauses; they generally occur in sentence-final position, and only some of them can follow the wh- item in an interrogative clause. They display the typical…
On standardising syntactic elicitation techniques (part 1)
Sentential particles and clausal typing in the veneto dialects
In this work we examine several sentential particles, occurring in imperatives, main exclamative and interrogative sentences, which display a uniform syntactic behaviour. We analyse them as heads of high CP projections which require their specifier to be filled either by the wh-item (in sentences where there is one) or by the whole clause, yielding the sentence final position of the particle. The hypothesis that they are C°-heads accounts for the…
The left-periphery of V2-Rhaetoromance dialects
On standardising syntactic elicitation techniques (part 1)
Emphasis as reduplication
A Case of DO-Support in Romance
Eppur si muove
This article offers a comparative syntax approach to wh-questions in French and Bellunese, a Northern Italian dialect spoken in the town of Belluno. A striking difference between the two languages, otherwise very closely related, lies in the fact that bare wh-words in root questions, which display obligatory subject clitic inversion (SCLI), must appear at the right edge of the sentence in Bellunese. In French on the other hand apparent in situ st…
More than one way out
In this article I will show that there is not a single diachronic path that leads to the loss of the verb second property so that different languages can have different ways towards a non V2 grammar. I will also show that the progressive loss of subject inversion contexts is not the only factor that played a role in the change, because there are V2 languages in which nominal subject inversion was never attested but they are still V2, i.e. they ha…
Living on the Edge. On Bare and Non-Bare NCIs across Italo-Romance
This article describes and discusses some properties of the distribution of Negative Concord Items (NCIs) in the Italo-Romance domain, taking into account both varieties of Italian and varieties of other Italo-Romance languages. More precisely, the authors examine non-negative contexts, which allow the presence of NCIs. Across all non-negative contexts, bare/pronominal NCIs are systematically allowed in more contexts than complex ones, modulo the…
Towards a Typology of wh-Doubling in Northern Italian Dialects
In this work we examine the distribution of wh-in-situ and short (i.e., clause internal) wh-doubling in Northern Italian dialects with the purpose of showing that wh-in-situ and wh-doubling are not unitary phenomena, since they are subject to different distributional properties across dialects. We show that wh-doubling cannot be reduced to a single analysis but rather corresponds to a family of phenomena which have in common the basic procedure o…
Resilient Subject Agreement Morpho-Syntax in the Germanic Romance Contact Area
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 …
Partitive objects in negative contexts in Northern Italian Dialects
In this article we analyze partitive objects under negation (NPOs) in the Northern Italian dialectal (NID) domain and discuss their diachronic and synchronic relation with both partitive constructions and partitive articles. We take into exam the areal distribution of the phenomenon, its syntactic variation and the different factors that regulate this variation. The main claim of the paper is that NPOs in the NIDs are a special type of grammatica…
On relative complementizers and relative pronouns
This paper explores the syntactic status ofcheand (il)qual(e) relativizers, i.e. what are standardly referred to as relative complementizers and relative pronouns, in Old and Modern Italian and Italian varieties and proposes a unified analysis for both types of items. It takes into account the ongoing debate regarding the categorial status of relativizers (Kayne 1975,2008,2010;Lehmann 1984;Manzini & Savoia 2003,2011, among many others) and aims a…
How bare are bare quantifiers
In this article we analyze the internal structure of bare universal and negative quantifiers in Italian varieties, taking into consideration both synchronic and diachronic variation. It is proposed that bare quantifiers are not standard QPs with a null DP restrictor, but deficient items where the Q-portion is paired with a classifier expressing the [+/− human]-feature, more specifically a special type of light noun. Items of this type are overtly…
The Higher Functional Field
This work investigates the syntax of the higher portion of the functional structure of the clause using comparative data from hundreds of Northern Italian dialects. The area contains dialects that are different in most ways yet homogenous syntactically, making it an ideal ground for analysing micro-variations in syntax. The book sheds new light on debated problems such as subject-clitic inversion, verb movement and subject positions, and the stru…
Eppur si muove
This article offers a comparative syntax approach to wh-questions in French and Bellunese, a Northern Italian dialect spoken in the town of Belluno. A striking difference between the two languages, otherwise very closely related, lies in the fact that bare wh-words in root questions, which display obligatory subject clitic inversion (SCLI), must appear at the right edge of the sentence in Bellunese. In French on the other hand apparent in situ st…
Andrea Moro , Dynamic antisymmetry . Cambridge, MA
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Sentential particles and clausal typing in the veneto dialects
In this work we examine several sentential particles, occurring in imperatives, main exclamative and interrogative sentences, which display a uniform syntactic behaviour. We analyse them as heads of high CP projections which require their specifier to be filled either by the wh-item (in sentences where there is one) or by the whole clause, yielding the sentence final position of the particle. The hypothesis that they are C°-heads accounts for the…
A Case of DO-Support in Romance
On the diachronic origin of sentential particles in North-Eastern Italian dialects
In this article we try to determine the diachronic origin of a few sentential particles attested in some North-Eastern Italian dialects on the basis of their syntactic properties. The particles we consider are associated with specific clause types and can only appear in matrix non-declarative clauses; they generally occur in sentence-final position, and only some of them can follow the wh- item in an interrogative clause. They display the typical…
On standardising syntactic elicitation techniques (part 1)
Quantifiers as negative markers in Italian dialects
In this work we consider the diachronic development of two distinct types of negative markers, those originally stemming from minimizers (m-negation) and those originally deriving from a negative quantifier (q-negation). We provide evidence in favor of the hypothesis that, despite appearances, they do not follow the same grammaticalization path. We claim that the distinct syntactic position of the two types of negation in the modern dialects depe…
Functional Heads
The dynamics of the PF interface
Emphasis as reduplication
Subject Clitics and (Complex) Inversion
In this work, we will first examine the intricate properties of the bafflingly rich syntax of French interrogatives, which display a complex set of restrictions on different types of subjects. We will start off by taking advantage of a set of tests going back to early generative work by R. Kayne showing that the DP subject position in complex inversion (CI) constructions is not to be analyzed as a left dislocation. We will show further that the o…
How bare are bare quantifiers
In this article we analyze the internal structure of bare universal and negative quantifiers in Italian varieties, taking into consideration both synchronic and diachronic variation. It is proposed that bare quantifiers are not standard QPs with a null DP restrictor, but deficient items where the Q-portion is paired with a classifier expressing the [+/− human]-feature, more specifically a special type of light noun. Items of this type are overtly…
On relative complementizers and relative pronouns
This paper explores the syntactic status ofcheand (il)qual(e) relativizers, i.e. what are standardly referred to as relative complementizers and relative pronouns, in Old and Modern Italian and Italian varieties and proposes a unified analysis for both types of items. It takes into account the ongoing debate regarding the categorial status of relativizers (Kayne 1975,2008,2010;Lehmann 1984;Manzini & Savoia 2003,2011, among many others) and aims a…
More than one way out
In this article I will show that there is not a single diachronic path that leads to the loss of the verb second property so that different languages can have different ways towards a non V2 grammar. I will also show that the progressive loss of subject inversion contexts is not the only factor that played a role in the change, because there are V2 languages in which nominal subject inversion was never attested but they are still V2, i.e. they ha…
The Possible Positioning of Negation
This chapter deals with movements of sentential negative markers from one negative position to another and puts forth the idea that there is a relation between the position of the negative marker and its etymology. It argues that negative markers target positions that are located in three areas of the clause where operator-like elements move (either quantifiers or focused or wh-items) or argumental clitics. It also shows that there is no link bet…
Does prosody meet syntax? A case study on standard Italian cleft sentences and left peripheral focus
In this work we deal with two structures that have a very similar pragmatic function in Italian and have been claimed to have similar semantic and syntactic properties, namely clefts and left peripheral focus. Since Chomsky (1977. On wh-movement. In Peter W. Culicover, Thomas Wasow & Adrian Akmajian (eds.), Formal Syntax , 71–132. New York: Academic Press.) they have been both considered as instances of A’-movement and should therefore behave ali…
Partitive objects in negative contexts in Northern Italian Dialects
In this article we analyze partitive objects under negation (NPOs) in the Northern Italian dialectal (NID) domain and discuss their diachronic and synchronic relation with both partitive constructions and partitive articles. We take into exam the areal distribution of the phenomenon, its syntactic variation and the different factors that regulate this variation. The main claim of the paper is that NPOs in the NIDs are a special type of grammatica…
Resilient grammars
In this work we consider some residual cases of OV order in Cimbrian and show that this is due to the interaction between verb movement, a language specific property, and the syntax of bare quantifiers. This has consequences on a general theory on the change of the basic word order, since it shows that the passage from OV to VO can involve different structures in different languages depending on other properties, hence it is not possible to trace…
Resilient Subject Agreement Morpho-Syntax in the Germanic Romance Contact Area
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 …
Indefinite Objects in Micro‐variation. A Cross‐linguistic Analysis of the Distribution of Partitives Articles, Bare Nominals and Definite Determiners in Northern Italy
This contribution focuses on indefinite arguments in object position. We address this topic from the point of view of the crosslinguistic variation within the Romance continuum, especially looking at Northern Italian Dialects (NIDs). The target is to describe the distribution of the different possible realizations of this kind of arguments in this area by means of an in‐depth analysis of the data coming from the ASIt database and from three new f…
Partitive Articles and Indefinites, Micro and Macrovariation
This introductory paper provides an overview of the main phenomena investigated in this Special Issue, such as the relation between the encoding of indefinites and the presence of genitive and definite markers, the relation between partitivity and indefiniteness and the distribution of these phenomena in minority, or “micro”, varieties – such as Italian dialects, Galloromance varieties, North and South Saami – compared to the distribution of the …
Living on the Edge. On Bare and Non-Bare NCIs across Italo-Romance
This article describes and discusses some properties of the distribution of Negative Concord Items (NCIs) in the Italo-Romance domain, taking into account both varieties of Italian and varieties of other Italo-Romance languages. More precisely, the authors examine non-negative contexts, which allow the presence of NCIs. Across all non-negative contexts, bare/pronominal NCIs are systematically allowed in more contexts than complex ones, modulo the…
Towards a Typology of wh-Doubling in Northern Italian Dialects
In this work we examine the distribution of wh-in-situ and short (i.e., clause internal) wh-doubling in Northern Italian dialects with the purpose of showing that wh-in-situ and wh-doubling are not unitary phenomena, since they are subject to different distributional properties across dialects. We show that wh-doubling cannot be reduced to a single analysis but rather corresponds to a family of phenomena which have in common the basic procedure o…
The left-periphery of V2-Rhaetoromance dialects
Philosophy (24 obras) · Linguistics (23 obras) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (22 obras) · Computer Science (18 obras) · Linguistic Variation and Morphology (17 obras) · Phonetics and Phonology Research (15 obras) · Mathematics (9 obras) · Syntax (8 obras) · History (6 obras) · Philosophy (6 obras)