Intraclade Contact from an I-Language Perspective. The Noun Phrase in the Ligurian/Occitan amphizone

Diego Pescarini (1)

1 BCL, équipe Dialectologie et Linguistique formelle

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.

Mots clés: syntax; morphology; dialects; Romance; agreement

Domaines: Linguistique

Diego Pescarini. Intraclade Contact from an I-Language Perspective. The Noun Phrase in the Ligurian/Occitan amphizone. Languages, 2021, 6 (2), pp.77. ⟨10.3390/languages6020077⟩. ⟨hal-03575660⟩