A NOTE ON CATALAN CLITICS
Anna Ga a ó
Uni e si ei an Ams e dam
The pu pose o his pape is o sugges
an
in e p e a ion o he colloquial cli ic sys em o
Ba celona Ca alan (and o he dialec s) in he ligh o he no ion o "phone ically emp y
objec ". The analysis p oposed d aws on some conside a ions on emp y objec s in
B azilian Po upese ound in Fa ell(1990).
In his pape I discuss in wha way he a gumen s o a head may
be
ealised in a Go e nmen -
Binding g amma . The pa icula ins ance o such ealisa ion deal wi h is ha o he hi d pe son
cli ic a gumen s in some (colloquial) dalec s o Ca alan, hough i is beyond he scope o his pape
o gi e a ull accoun o he cli ic sys em o Ca alan. In b oad e ns, i seems o
be
he case, hough,
ha bo h colloquial and p esc ibed Ca alan coincide in p esen ing simple sequences o cli ics o i s ,
second and hi d pe son. Wha is mean by simple is ha each cli ic can be iden i ied in he sequence
( oge he wi h epen he ic owels which o he p esen pu poses can be igno ed). This is illus a ed
in
(1).
(1)
a.
E eig
2
I-see
'I see you'
b.
La
eig
3-F
I-see
'I
see he /i
Ca alan Wo king Pape s in Linguis ics (CWPL),
1991:
65-73
Uni e si a Au bnoma de Ba celona
(1)
c. Me les dóna
1
3-F-PL slhe-gi es
'Slhe gi es hem o me'
In all hese examples, each cli ic can be iden i ied wi h an a gumen o he e b, in he same way as
a ull NP complemen ; e.g.
La
eig
can be a pa aph ase o
Veig
la
saba a
'I see he shoe' and in bo h
sen ences all he a gumen s o he e b
eu e
' o see', EXPERIENCER and THEME, a e sa is ied.
This con as s wi h he ung amma icali y o
(Z),
whe e one o he a gumen s o he e b, he
THEME in his case, is no ealised -gi ing ise o a iola ion o he P ojec ion P inciple.
In common p ac ise, he complemen a i y o cli ics and
ull
complemen s (cli ic doubling aside) is
exp essed by pos ula ing he ollowing lund o s uc u e ep esen a ion o sen ences wi h cli ics:
(3) Lai eig [p oli
3-F
I-see
Tha is, cli ics sa is y he hema ic equi emen s o hei heads by coindexa ion wi h
an
emp y objec
p o
which is in a gumen a1 posi ion ( a he han being hemsel es in an a gumen a1 posi ion).
No hing he e depends on his mechanism; wha ma e s is ha he well- o medness o a sen ence
es s uni e sally on he sa is ac ion o he a gumen a1 equi emen s o i s cons i uen s.
The hi he o egula pa e n o a one- o-one co espondence be ween he a oles and cli ics (o
complemen s) does no appa en ly hold wi h hi d pe son cli ics in some dialec s o Ca alan, he
'
Ba celona one a nong hem:
(4) a. Li dono la
ca a
[li] I-gi e he le e
'I gi e himlhe he le e '
b. L'hi dono
[li] I-gi e
'I gi e i o himlhe '
(5)
a. Els hi dono la
ca a
[alzi] I-gi e he le e
'I
gi e hem he le e '
b. Els hi dono
[alzi] I-gi e
'I gi e i o hem'
In hese examples he cli ic (o cli ic sequence) lildlzi seems o s and o a
DAT
3
pe son in
(4a,
Sa),
and o a
DAT
3
pe son and an
ACC
3
pe son in (4b, Sb). Desc ip ions o his sys em can be ound
in he li e a u e (e.g. Fab a (1912), Fab a (1956), Badia
(1%2),
Wheele (1979), Masca 6 (1986)).
On
he unde s anding ha i is no "ex año y bá ba o" (Fab a
(
1912: 167)), bu mus con onn in
some way o he
p incipies
o
UG,
1'11 sugges a syn ac ic accoun o his cons uc ion. No ice ha
[li] and [alzi] a e phone ically iden icd in he wo examples in
(4)
and
(5)
espec i ely ( hough he
o hog aphic con en ion is ha
(44
and (4b) a e no w i en he same). I see no eason o expec a
solu ion o he p oblem p esen ed in he PF componen o he g amma .
Le us i s go h ough he occu ence o hi d pe son cli ics sys ema ically. (6) and
(7)
display he
occu ences o one cli ic only, (8) hose o wo cli ics.
(6)
a. El dono a la Ma ialal Joan
3-M I-gi e o Ma ial o Joan
'I gi e i (M) o Ma ial o Joan'
b.
La
dono a la Ma ialal Joan
3-F
'I gi e i (F) o Ma ial o Joan
c.
Els dono a la Ma ialal Joan
3-M-PL
'I gi e hem(M) o Ma ial o Joan'
d
.
Les
dono a la Ma ida1 Joan
3-F-PL
'I
gi e hem(F) o Ma ial o Joan'
(7)
a.
pi]
dono el lli b ella llib e a
3-DAT
I
-gi e he book(M)/ he bookno e(F)
'I gi e himlhe he booklbookno e'
b. [dlzi] dono el llib ella llib e a
3-PL-DAT
'I gi e hem he booklbookno e'
(8)
a. [li] dono
[3 DAT, 3 ACCI
b. [dlzi] dono
[3
DAT,
3
PL
ACCI
b
'
.
[ldzi] dono
[3 DAT, 3
F
PL ACCI
c.
[dlzi] dono
[3 PL DAT,
3
M
PL
ACCI
(8) d. [alzi] dono
[3
PL DAT,
3
F
PL ACCI
Some o he ea u es ha cha ac e ise he pa adigms in (6) and
(7)
abo e a e
as
ollows: (a) all hi d
pe son cli ic clus e s include [l]; (b)
3
ACC cli ics may be ma ked as [+FEM] o [-FEM]; c . (6a)
and (6b), o
(6c)
and (6d). This dis inc ion does no hold o i s and second pe son; (c)
3
ACC
cli ics may
be
ma ked as [+PL] o [-PL]
;
c . (6a) and (6c), o (6b) and
(6d);
(d) sequences including
a
3
DAT a e always ma ked by [i], and (e)
3
P DAT appea in sequences always ma ked by [z], i.e.
as [+PL].
Does hls cha ac e isa ion ca y h ough o (8), hough? I is ce ainly ue ha (d) holds in (8), since
all he cli ic sequences s and o DATS and include an [i]. As o (a), all examples in (8) in ol e a
hi d pe son ma ke
[I],
e en hough only one. Wi h espec o (b), only one o he o ns in (8)
includes
a
[+FEM] ma ke :
Les
hi
dono
(les llib e es,
a
ellla
).
'I gi e he bookno es
(F)
o himlhe '
In o he cases, he dis inc ion [+FEM]/[-FEM] is blu ed. In connec ion wi h (c) and (e), i.e. o he
ma ke s o [+PL], we ind one in all examples om (8b) o (8d); in (8b) and (8b') i can only
co espond o he ACC a gumen , while in
(&)
i can onl y co espond o he DAT. In
(8d)
he plu al
ma ke seems o be a ibu able o ei he DAT o ACC. The p oblem o a ibu ion and dis ibu ion
o ma ke s o DAT o ACC cli ics emains.
Fa ell(1990) analyses sen ences such
as
hose in (9) o B azilian Po uguese as in ol ing an emp y
objec .
(9)
EU conheci
ec
numa es a
I me
ec
a -a
pa y

These emp y objec s al e na e wi h o e ull p onouns and ACC cli ics, as in (10a) and (10b)
espec i ely:
(10) a. EU conheci ele numa es a
b. EU o conheci numa es a
'I me him a a pa y'
Fa ell a gues ha he emp y ca ego y in (9) is co ec ly cha ac e ised as p o, a he han as a
a iable bound by an ope a o
a
la
Huang 1984. Wha conce ns us in he p esen con ex is he
solu ion o he iden i ica ion p oblem ha (9) aises. Tha is, in wha way does he g amma
gua an ee ha he p o in (9) is iden i ied in o de o (9) no o
be
uled ou as a iola ion o he
P ojec ion Pnnciple (i.e. as a sen ence missing an a gumen ha mus
be
sa u a ed)? In his case,
ob iously, ag eemen on he head ca ego y is no he iden i ica o y ea u e which licenses he emp y
objec , since, unlike wi h emp y subjec s in Romance, he e is no such ag eemen . Fan-ell p oposes,
hen, o b oaden he no ion o iden i ica ion. In his iew, he in insic speci ica ion o ea u es
should coun as iden i ica ion. Acco dingly, he p o eco e abili y p inciple o Rizzi (1986) which
appea s
in
(
1 1) is b oadened wi h he clause in
(1
1').
(1 1) Le
X
be
he licensing head o an occu ence o p o: hen p o has he g amma ical
speci ica ions o he ea u es on
X
coindexed wi h i .
(1 1') O p o has he g amma ical speci ica ions o designa ed ea u es.
In pa icula , in B azilian Po uguese, he only objec s ha a e licensed a e in he hi d pe son. Fi s
and
second pe son p onouns mus be o e in objec posi ion, as shown in
(12):
(12) Coi ado do Jo?io/*de miml*de oce.
O
che e mandou ec embo a
'Poo Jo?iol*mel*you. The boss sacked ec'
The licensing o p o in B azilian Po uguese is possible, unde (1 I'), by iden i ying i in insically
wi h he ea u e [+3 pe son]. Hence, by (1 I'), he ec o B azilian Po uguese is allowed o occu
wi hou iden i ying mo phology. I sugges ha in he p oblema ic examples o Ca alan abo e i is
also possible o pos ula e an emp y ca ego y wi h he same designa ed ea u es as in B azilian
Po uguese, i.e. [+3 pe son]:
(13) a. [li] ec dono
[3
DAT,
3
ACCI
b. [alzi] ec dono
[3
PL DAT,
3
M
ACCI
c. [alzi] ec dono
[3
PL DAT,
3
F
ACCI
(The posi ion o he emp y ca ego y is i ele an he e.) Pos ula ing such an emp y ca ego y in hese
examples allows us o explain some phenomena o hen ise unaccoun ed o : he lack o o e gende
ma ke s no mally p esen in ACC o ms (c . (I)), as well
as
he p esence o one
PL
ma ke only in
(13b,c), a ibu ed now o he DAT plu al.
Howe e , we s ill ha e o accoun o he dis ibu ion o his emp y objec o Ca alan, which we will
assume o be p onominal, i.e. p o,
as
in B azilian Po uguese. Gi en he ung amma icali y o
(2),
*Veig, we know ha
a
s uc u e such as ha in (14) mus
be
uled ou :
(
14) *Veig p o
'I-see i lhe lhiml hem'
In ac ual ac , he ec a issue seems o occu only when
a
hi d pe son
DAT
complemen has
cli icised on o he e b.
(I
am lea ing aside o he possible occu ences o emp y objec s in Ca alan
whlch in ol e gene ic in e p e a ion, e c.) In gene al, he dialec s o Ca alan ha we a e dealing wi h
exclude any sequence o cli ics whe e a gi en cli ic occu s mo e han once. This is no so in
p esc ibed Ca alan, whe e e.g.
Els els
dono
'I gi e hem o hem' is gooci. Suppose hen ha he
g a nma o colloquial Ba celona Ca alan includes a p inciple excluding mo e han one occu ence o
any gi en cli ic in a cli ic sequence. Also, his g amma includes clause (1
1')
o he licensing o
p o.
Howe e , unlike in B azilian Po uguese, his
p o
only occu s when i is o ced o by he
"single-occu ence-o -a-cli ic"
il e abo e.
No ice, by he way, ha his las il e (a il e possibly de i able om Case heo y, some hing ha
I'm no going o go in o he e) co ec ly ules ou sen ences such as
(15),
whe e, concei ably, he
wo cli ics
hi
and
en
could ha e di e en sou ces (i.e., s and o di e en he a oles), so ha he
sen ences in (15) a e no p oblema ic o he a heo y.
(15)
*L hi hi dono
*En en po a un
To summa ise, he hi d pe son cli ic sys em is cons i u ed by he sequence o l+a+z+i, which s and
espec i ely o
[+3
pe son], [+FEM], [+PL], and [+DAT] (o , mo e accu a ely, a complemen
in oduced by he p eposi ion
a).
Cli icisa ion is uled by he p inciples o he g a nma , o which he
cli ic il e abo e is added, oge he wi h he licensing condi ions on
p o.1
I becomes clea ha he cli ic sys em unde sc u iny is consis en wi h a g a nma which equi es all
a gumen al ela ionships o be eco e able.
*The au ho wishes o acknowledge ha he esea ch epo ed he e is suppo ed by a pos -doc o al
g an o he Spanish Minis e i0 de Educación y Ciencia. Any commen s on i will
be
welcome a he
au ho 's add ess.
No es
1
The ca ea mus be made ha a DAT singula can possibly
be
l+i (wi h ACC singula ) o jus i
(wi h ACC plu al), since o mos speake s *[la i] (DAT singula , ACC eminine singula ) is ou .
Re e ences
Badia i Ma ga i , A. M. (1962) G m' ica ca alana, G edos, Mad id.
Fab a,
P.
(1912) G m' ica de la lengua ca alana, L'A enq, Ba celona.
Fab a,
P.
(1956) G amci ica ca alana, Teide, Ba celona.
Fa ell,
P.
(1990) 'Null Objec s in B azilian Po uguese', Na u al Language and Linguis ic Theo y
8,
325-346.
Huang,
J.
(1984) 'On he Dis ibu ion and Re e ence o Emp y P onouns', Linguis ic Inqui y 15,
53
1-575.
Masca ó,
J.
(1986) Mo ologia, Enciclopkdia Ca alana, Ba celona.
Rizzi, L. (1986) 'Null Objec s in I alian and he Theo y o p o', Linguis ic Inqui y 9,507-557.
Wheele , M. (1979) Phonology o Ca alan, Basi1 Blackwell, Ox o d.
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