Chapter 7 Language Contact and the Development of Judeo-Spanish Syntax

In: New Perspectives on Judeo-Spanish and the Linguistic History of the Sephardic Jews
Author:
Susann Fischer
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Chapter
Pages:
166–190
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004685062_009

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the development of syntax in the Judeo-Spanish variety spoken in today’s Bulgaria. Given that syntax is as complex as other areas of grammar, only some syntactical structures are discussed, namely word-order, stylistic fronting, and some features of the clitic pronoun system. It is shown that the variety of Judeo-Spanish spoken in Bulgaria has only converged on some of the features of the contact language Bulgarian. We find innovative features like clitic doubling with direct objects, next to archaic structures like stylistic fronting that is attested in medieval Spanish. It is argued that only those aspects of syntax that are located at the interface between syntax and information structure have converged on Bulgarian, but other features have developed according to natural processes of language change.

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Series:  Brill's Studies in Language, Cognition and Culture, Volume: 41
Cover New Perspectives on Judeo-Spanish and the Linguistic History of the Sephardic Jews
E-Book ISBN:
9789004685062
Publisher:
Brill
Print Publication Date:
02 May 2024

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