A Note on Catalan Clitics

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. Algemene Taalwe enschap Uni e si ei an Ams e dam Spuis aa 21 0 NL-1012 VT Ams e dam