More than one way out
On the factors influencing the loss of V to C movement
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 have I to C movement. I will identify various
factors which may play a role and are related to the type of verb second found in different languages. I will consider various
types of factors and show that they can play a role or not in the loss of V2 depending on the type of V2 that the language
displays. I will also identify an additional factor that has not been considered in the literature namely the type of
complementizer system: a change in this area can contribute to destabilizing the V2 grammar.
Article outline
- 1.Setting the problem
- 2.V2 types
- 2.1Combining with V2 and the split left periphery
- 2.2The loss of V2: From Old to Renaissance Italian
- 2.3What subject inversion tells us
- 3.A wider perspective
- 3.1Cimbrian
- 3.2Plodarisch
- 3.3The complex picture
- 4.Old Italian
- 5.Concluding remarks
- Notes
-
References
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