This paper is offers a short overview of the basic evidence on clitics in Serbian/Croatian. Serbian/Croatian is a language with a virtualy free word order due to ist rich morphological heritage in form of inflections for case, gender and tense marking.
In this paper, I am basically concerned with a major exception to this general rule- the position of clitics. Serbo-Croat (nowdays formally divided into three standard languages Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian) has a rich system of clitic forms, including Dative and Accusative pronominal clitics; verbal clitics; which are unstressed forms of finite auxiliary verbs; and the interrogative marker “li“. On the course of this paper I will confront some opposing paradigmas on the rules underlying the structural positon of clitics within the syntax of Serbian/Croatian.
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Table of Contents
1. Progovac
2. Cavar and Wilder
3. Boskovic
4. Conclusions
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper provides a concise overview of the linguistic evidence regarding the placement of clitics in Serbo-Croatian, a language characterized by free word order and a complex system of inflectional morphology. The author investigates competing theoretical accounts from prominent linguists to explain the specific positional constraints governing clitics within the language's syntactic structure.
- Theoretical perspectives on clitic placement (Progovac, Cavar/Wilder, Boskovic).
- Interaction between free word order and rigid clitic positioning.
- The role of syntax and phonological filters in clitic movement.
- Evidence regarding verb-movement and participle placement.
- Comparison of clitic hosting in matrix versus subordinate clauses.
Excerpt from the Book
Cavar and Wilder
The rich system of clitics, and the “clitic second“ effect which shows up in simple main clauses are-according to Cavar and Wilder-two conspicious features of Croatian. Earlier (1994,a,b), Cavar and Wilder proposed that the clitic second effect results from the interaction between a syntatic clitic-placement rule and a phonological filter. In their paper on clitics in Croatian, Cavar and Wilder (Riemsdijk 1999:429), they were mainly concerned with a particular aspect of the clitic second phenomenon; the way that it interacts with verb movement. They came to the conclusion that a verb may precede clitics in ist clause only when no other constituent preceeds the clitics.
Summary of Chapters
1. Progovac: This chapter analyzes the proposal that clitics in main clauses are supported by preposing a constituent to the Spec of CP, contrasting this with subordinate clauses where the complementizer serves as a host.
2. Cavar and Wilder: This section explores the interaction between syntactic rules and phonological filters, arguing that verb movement is a "Last Resort" operation triggered when necessary to provide a host for clitics.
3. Boskovic: This chapter provides evidence against the standard assumption that participles move to C, suggesting instead that clitics do not occupy a single structurally fixed position in Serbo-Croatian.
4. Conclusions: This final section summarizes the heterogeneous and often contradictory nature of current linguistic theories regarding clitic placement in Serbo-Croatian, acknowledging the ongoing complexity of the phenomenon.
Keywords
Serbo-Croatian, Clitics, Syntax, Word Order, Morphology, Progovac, Cavar and Wilder, Boskovic, Clitic Second, V-movement, Spec of CP, Participles, Phonological Filter, Last Resort, Linguistics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the syntactic and phonological mechanisms that determine the placement of clitics in Serbo-Croatian, specifically addressing why they often appear in the "second" position of a sentence.
What makes Serbo-Croatian word order unique?
Serbo-Croatian is considered a "free word order" language due to its rich inflectional morphology for case, gender, and tense, which allows for almost any permutation of constituents.
What is the central research question?
The study seeks to reconcile the conflict between the language's free word order and the rigid, specific positioning requirements of clitics, by evaluating different theoretical models.
Which theoretical approaches are analyzed?
The paper evaluates the work of three key linguists/research groups: Progovac, Cavar and Wilder, and Boskovic.
What is the role of the "Last Resort" principle in these theories?
Some researchers, specifically Cavar and Wilder, argue that certain movements, such as verb-fronting, occur only as a "Last Resort" to provide a host for clitics when other phonological requirements are not met.
How is the analysis of clitics structured?
The analysis covers clitic behavior in both matrix and subordinate clauses, as well as the interaction between clitics, auxiliary verbs, and participles.
How does Boskovic’s view differ from earlier assumptions?
Boskovic challenges the standard assumption that clitics always occupy a structurally fixed position and argues that participles do not necessarily move to the C position.
Why are prepositions generally unable to host clitics?
The research notes that even if a preposition carries stress, it typically cannot host a clitic, further complicating the search for a unified placement mechanism.
What does the author conclude about the complexity of the topic?
The author concludes that the evidence is currently deeply contradictory and heterogeneous, suggesting that the placement of clitics remains a difficult task for linguistic explanation.
- Quote paper
- Bruno Jurilj (Author), 2005, The Placement of Clitics in Serbo-Croatian, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/80002
