This paper investigates aspects of adjectival modification in Romance and Greek of Southern Italy. In Italiot Greek, prenominal adjectives obey restrictions that do not exist in Standard Modern Greek, where all types of adjectives are allowed in prenominal position. As far as postnominal adjectives are concerned, in the textual tradition of Calabria Greek there is evidence of postnominal adjectives systematically articulated in definite determiner phrases (DPs), in a structure similar to the so-called polydefinite construction that is typical of Standard Modern Greek (and of Greek in general since ancient times). Some residual evidence of such a construction is also found in Salento. Yet, in the varieties currently spoken in the two areas, postnominal adjectives are never articulated. The paper explores these patterns, with particular attention to the mechanisms potentially responsible for the loss of polydefiniteness.

Adjective-noun combination in Romance and Greek of Southern Italy. Polydefiniteness revisited / Guardiano, Cristina; Melita, Stavrou. - In: JOURNAL OF GREEK LINGUISTICS. - ISSN 1566-5844. - 19:1(2019), pp. 3-57. [10.1163/15699846-01901001]

Adjective-noun combination in Romance and Greek of Southern Italy. Polydefiniteness revisited

Cristina Guardiano
;
Melita Stavrou
2019

Abstract

This paper investigates aspects of adjectival modification in Romance and Greek of Southern Italy. In Italiot Greek, prenominal adjectives obey restrictions that do not exist in Standard Modern Greek, where all types of adjectives are allowed in prenominal position. As far as postnominal adjectives are concerned, in the textual tradition of Calabria Greek there is evidence of postnominal adjectives systematically articulated in definite determiner phrases (DPs), in a structure similar to the so-called polydefinite construction that is typical of Standard Modern Greek (and of Greek in general since ancient times). Some residual evidence of such a construction is also found in Salento. Yet, in the varieties currently spoken in the two areas, postnominal adjectives are never articulated. The paper explores these patterns, with particular attention to the mechanisms potentially responsible for the loss of polydefiniteness.
2019
19
1
3
57
Adjective-noun combination in Romance and Greek of Southern Italy. Polydefiniteness revisited / Guardiano, Cristina; Melita, Stavrou. - In: JOURNAL OF GREEK LINGUISTICS. - ISSN 1566-5844. - 19:1(2019), pp. 3-57. [10.1163/15699846-01901001]
Guardiano, Cristina; Melita, Stavrou
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1188377
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