This book investigates the syntax of Romanian ditransitives building on new experimental data with a view to enable a more accurate understanding of these constructions regarding their underlying configuration(s), the structural import of Differential Object Marking or Clitic Doubling among others. One first attempt is to explain the (relatively) free word-order manifested by the two internal arguments, and their symmetrical potential for anaphor and possessor binding. Evidence is provided as to the relative hierarchical order of the two object DPs, with the direct object as the lower one. The featural make-up of the two objects also proves crucial in disentangling the various experimentally uncovered aspects regarding their interaction e.g., differentially marked direct objects bear a [Person] feature and compete with the indirect object in valuing the person feature of the applicative. The feature specification is further refined function of the presence of clitic doubling or the lack thereof. The experimental insights we gain into the syntax of Romanian ditransitives help us integrate them with their counterparts in Romance thereby contributing to a better cross-linguistic understanding of these constructions.

This book investigates the syntax of Romanian ditransitives building on new experimental data with a view to enable a more accurate understanding of these constructions regarding their underlying configuration(s), the structural import of Differential Object Marking or Clitic Doubling among others. One first attempt is to explain the (relatively) free word-order manifested by the two internal arguments, and their symmetrical potential for anaphor and possessor binding. Evidence is provided as to the relative hierarchical order of the two object DPs, with the direct object as the lower one. The featural make-up of the two objects also proves crucial in disentangling the various experimentally uncovered aspects regarding their interaction e.g., differentially marked direct objects bear a [Person] feature and compete with the indirect object in valuing the person feature of the applicative. The feature specification is further refined function of the presence of clitic doubling or the lack thereof. The experimental insights we gain into the syntax of Romanian ditransitives help us integrate them with their counterparts in Romance thereby contributing to a better cross-linguistic understanding of these constructions.

This volume brings together a number of researchers working on generative syntax and semantics, language acquisition and phonology to explore various theoretical frameworks, ranging from generative grammar and formal semantics to more descriptive approaches. The contributions gathered here investigate various aspects in the syntax, semantics, phonology and acquisition of Romanian in comparison with other (mainly Romance) languages. The book will be of interest to linguists who are keen on keeping up with the latest advances in the field of Romance studies, as well as those whose research bears on languages such as Hungarian, German, and Maltese, among others.

While ample studies exist on ditransitives in various languages, notably from a typological perspective, more work needs to be done on identifying the main processes and factors that trigger and constrain the changes they undergo over time. The goal of this volume is to help fill this gap by bringing together data and information on individual languages that have thus far been left out of the discussion and by expanding our knowledge of already studied linguistic traditions so as to achieve a broader diachronic description. Since one of the distinctive features of ditransitives is their synchronic variability in terms of structural alternation and alignment split, diachronic research can throw up new insights into developmental dynamics that are eminently complementary; namely, on the one hand, the emergence, development and loss of construction alternation and, on the other, the acquisition of new functions over time. The analyses offered in the book yield different and interconnected answers to the general question of how ditransitives change by drawing on different functional principles that play a role in the diachronic reorganization of this dynamic domain and by providing a number of original theoretical suggestions.

This volume contains a selection of 18 peer-reviewed papers presented at the 31st edition of Going Romance. Phenomena found in Romance languages (European Portuguese, French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian), in Romance dialects (Cosentino, Salentino, southern Calabrese, Neapolitan, and Trevigiano), and even in creoles with a Romance lexifier (Makista and Kristang) either benefit from in-depth analyses confined to one single variety, or are subjected to comparative analysis (dialect vs standard language, dialect vs different major language(s), cross-dialectal comparison, cross-Romance comparison, and even comparison of language families). Theoretical and experimental approaches complement one another, as do diachrony and synchrony. Individually and as a whole, these contributions show how the Romance languages contribute to a better understanding of issues which are relevant in the current linguistic landscape: acquisition, n-words, ellipsis phenomena, focus and polarity, ditransitive constructions, grammaticalization theory, differential object marking, language ecology, event structure, cyclicity, passives and many more.

The architecture of the human language faculty has been one of the main foci of the linguistic research of the last half century. This branch of linguistics, broadly known as Generative Grammar, is concerned with the formulation of explanatory formal accounts of linguistic phenomena with the ulterior goal of gaining insight into the properties of the 'language organ'. The series comprises high quality monographs and collected volumes that address such issues. The topics in this series range from phonology to semantics, from syntax to information structure, from mathematical linguistics to studies of the lexicon. To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Birgit Sievert