Anaphoric preferences of null and overt subjects in Italian and Spanish : a cross-linguistic comparison
This thesis focuses on the cross-linguistic differences between Italian and Spanish regarding the pragmatic restrictions on the resolution of null and overt subject pronouns (NS and OSP). It also tries to identify possible links between such cross-linguistic differences and morpho-syntactic differences at the level of the verbal morphology of the two languages. Spanish and Italian are typologically related and morpho-syntactically similar and have been assumed to instantiate the same setting of the NS parameter with respect to not only its syntactic licensing conditions, but also the pragmatic constraints determining the distribution of null and overt subject pronouns, and this assumption has had important implications for cross-linguistic research. The first aim of this study was to test directly for the first time the assumption about the equivalence of Italian and Spanish; in order to do so, I run a series of self-paced reading experiments using the same materials translated in each language, so that the results were directly comparable. The experiments were based on Carminatiâs (2002) study on antecedent preferences for Italian NSs and OSPs in intra-sentential anaphora, testing the Position of Antecedent
Filiaci, Francesca
anaphora resolution ; Spanish ; Italian ; null subject ; overt subject ; syntax-discourse interface ; pronouns
Anaphoric preferences of null and overt subjects in Italian and Spanish : a cross-linguistic comparison. This thesis focuses on the cross-linguistic differences between Italian and Spanish regarding the pragmatic restrictions on the resolution of null and overt subject pronouns (NS and OSP). It also tries to identify possible links between such cross-linguistic differences and morpho-syntactic differences at the level of the verbal morphology of the two languages. Spanish and Italian are typologically related and morpho-syntactically similar and have been assumed to instantiate the same setting of the NS parameter with respect to not only its syntactic licensing conditions, but also the pragmatic constraints determining the distribution of null and overt subject pronouns, and this assumption has had important implications for cross-linguistic research. The first aim of this study was to test directly for the first time the assumption about the equivalence of Italian and Spanish; in order to do so, I run a series of self-paced reading experiments using the same materials translated in each language, so that the results were directly comparable. The experiments were based on Carminatiâs (2002) study on antecedent preferences for Italian NSs and OSPs in intra-sentential anaphora, testing the Position of Antecedent
anaphoric preference null overt subject italian spanish cross_linguistic comparison focus cross_linguistic difference italian spanish regard pragmatic restriction resolution null overt subject pronoun also_try identify_possible link cross_linguistic difference morpho_syntactic difference_level verbal_morphology two_language spanish italian typologically relate morpho syntactically similar assume instantiate setting parameter respect syntactic licensing condition also pragmatic constraint determine distribution null overt subject pronoun assumption important_implication cross_linguistic research first aim_study test directly first_time assumption equivalence italian spanish order run series self paced reading use material translate language directly comparable base study antecedent preference italian nss intra sentential anaphora test position antecedent