The Grammaticalization of Catalan anar (‘to go’) + Infinitive for the Expression of Perfective Past: A Diachronic, Corpus-Based Perspective

This study constitutes an exploratory analysis of the grammaticalization cline of anar (‘to go’) + infinitive in Catalan to express perfective past (e.g., va arribar ‘s/he arrived’). Our research interest primarily lies in diachronically tracing the evolution of this grammatical change, which appears to be unprecedented in other Romance languages (e.g., Spanish, French), in which the construction has instead led to the expression of a near and/or intentional future. A gap in research is found in the fact that there have been few corpus-based, pragmatic approaches to the matter. We base our theoretical framework on the definition of grammaticalization by Hopper and Traugott (2003) and a number of related publications (Alturo 2017, Pérez-Saldanya & Hualde 2003). Critical items (N=346) were retrieved from the diachronic corpus CICA (11th-18th c.) and subsequently analyzed in the light of pragmatic factors, establishing a three-stage cline based on Segura (2012). Results show how informative bridging contexts are in shaping grammaticalization processes, as they highlight the challenges of tracing a grammaticalization process based on corpora of literary texts. A discussion follows on the identification of potential next steps that might be useful in complementing our own research.

An Argument for Phonological Stress in French: the syntagm over contrast

It is standardly assumed that French does not have word-stress, rather it has phrase-level prominence. I will advance a number of arguments, many of which have appeared already in the literature, that cumulatively suggest that French roots are characterized by phonological prominence, even if this is non-contrastive. By prominence, I mean a syntagmatically distributed strength that has all the phonological characteristics of stress in other Romance languages. I will remain agnostic about the nature of that stress, eschewing the lively debate about whether French has feet, and if so what type, and at what level. The structure of the argument is as follows. French demonstrably has phonological word-final strength but one wonders what the source of this strength is. Positionally, the initial position is strong and, independently of cases where it is reinforced by other factors, the final position is weak. I will argue, based on parallels with other Romance languages, that French word-final strength derives from root-final phonological stress. The broader significance of this conclusion is that syntagmatic properties are enough to motivate underlying forms, even in the absence of paradigmatic contrasts (minimal pairs).

Roots of V-to-C Movement in Romance

The paper investigates the syntactic structure of wh-clauses in late Latin. The results show that, in sentences with a wh-phrase as direct object, the interrogative operator reaches FocP in the left periphery, with the finite verb raising to the Foc head. This spec-head relation accounts for why subjects and dislocated XPs (like topics or focus elements) can not be intervening constituents between the object wh-phrase and the verb. For wh-clauses in which the interrogative operator is an adjunct, the hypothesis is that the wh-phrase occupies [Spec,IntP]. Here, the verb does not move to the CP-field, thus explaining the possibility of intervening subjects and interpolated XPs between the adjunct wh-element and the verb. These results show that the verb second (V2) property of V-to-C movement, as seen in several old Romance languages, can be derived from late Latin, and not exclusively from a supposed influence of Germanic languages, as is assumed in the literature.

Learning aspect in Italian as additional language. The role of second languages

The study examines the role played by English and Romance languages (L2s) when learning grammatical aspect in Italian as additional language (Ln). Swedish university students of Italian (n = 34), divided according to knowledge of a Romance L2 and English aspectual knowledge, completed an interpretation task of aspectual contrast in Italian. Eight native speakers served as a control group. The findings showed that knowledge of a Romance language as L2 and high English aspectual knowledge exerted a differential influence on learning aspect in Italian. This outcome is discussed in the light of a consistent form-meaning relationship between the L2s and Italian. Yet, with a mismatch between grammatical and lexical aspect, the learners’ judgments differed from the native speakers’ judgments. Thus, our findings also support the idea of the existence of differential learning paths sustained by the L2s when learning complex aspectual configurations.

La Commemoratio Annuntiationis y la figura de san Ildefonso de Toledo en las Vitae sanctorum de Rodrigo de Cerrato. Su relación con la literatura hispánica del siglo XIII

By considering in the first place Rodrigo of Cerrato’s hagiographic compilation, this paper aims to analyze the Commemoratio Anuntiationis and the representation of Ildephonsus of Toledo, the saint to whom the creation of this Marian celebration is ascribed. In connection with the Vitae sanctorum, we will also take into account other compilations, both in Latin and Romance languages, in order to find their sources, their combination and inclusion into the text, as well as the different ways they are handled in each case. This will contribute to verify the continuity of this visgothic Marian feast up to 13th century as well as to show the hesitations regarding its aim. Partiendo de la compilación hagiográfica de Rodrigo de Cerrato, este trabajo propone analizar la Commemoratio Annuntiationis y la figura del santo al que se atribuye la instauración de esta celebración mariana, Ildefonso de Toledo. En conexión con las Vitae sanctorum consideraremos también otras compilaciones, tanto en lengua latina y romance, con el objeto de determinar las fuentes, su combinación e inserción en el texto y el diverso tratamiento que éstas reciben en cada caso. Ello contribuirá a verificar la continuidad de esta festividad mariana de tradición visigótica en el siglo XIII y a poner de relieve las vacilaciones que se produjeron en cuanto a su objeto.

Baldat Ulit: el origen de Valladolid a través de su topónimo

The toponym Valladolid has been subject of debate and controversy from the 19th century to the present due to the difficulty of unraveling its origin and meaning. The reasons for rejecting the viability of the two most consolidated hypotheses, one of Arab derivation, Balad Walīd, and another with Latin and Celtic elements, Vallis Tolitum, are explained, and Baldat Ulit is presented as the alternative according to the oldest preserved documentation, the rules of phonetic evolution in the Ibero-Romance languages, ​​and the historical, material and cultural context of the Valladolid, both its area and town, during the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th centuries. El topónimo Valladolid ha sido objeto de cierto debate y controversia desde el siglo XIX hasta la actualidad debido a la dificultad de desentrañar su origen y significado. Se exponen los motivos para rechazar la viabilidad de las dos hipótesis más consolidadas, una de fundamentación árabe, Balad Walīd, y otra con elementos latinos y célticos, Vallis Tolitum, y se presenta Baldat Ulit como la alternativa basándose en la documentación más antigua conservada, en las normas de la evolución fonética en las lenguas iberorromances y en el contexto histórico, material y cultural de Valladolid, tanto su zona como el núcleo de población, durante los siglos VIII, IX, X y XI.

New Computational Methods and the Study of the Romance Languages

Nowadays, computer models of human language are instrumental to millions of people, who use them every day with little if any awareness of their existence and role. Their exponential development has had a huge impact on daily life through practical applications like machine translation or automated dialogue systems. It has also deeply affected the way we think about language as an object of scientific inquiry. Computer modeling of Romance languages has helped scholars develop new theoretical frameworks and new ways of looking at traditional approaches. In particular, computer modeling of lexical phenomena has had a profound influence on some fundamental issues in human language processing, such as the purported dichotomy between rules and exceptions, or grammar and lexicon, the inherently probabilistic nature of speakers’ perception of analogy and word internal structure, and their ability to generalize to novel items from attested evidence. Although it is probably premature to anticipate and assess the prospects of these models, their current impact on language research can hardly be overestimated. In a few years, data-driven assessment of theoretical models is expected to play an irreplaceable role in pacing progress in all branches of language sciences, from typological and pragmatic approaches to cognitive and formal ones.