On the border between hypotaxis and parataxis: Assessing the status of pseudo-coordination in Apulian varieties

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the geographical distribution and morphosyntactic properties of two Apulian aspectual periphrases, formed by auxiliaries stand/go (V1) and the lexical verb (V2). In particular, the focus lies on the morphosyntactic expression of the Apulo-Barese ‘hybrid’ periphrastic paradigms, in which the infinitival V2 alternates with an inflected V2 only in certain grammatical persons of the present indicative and imperative stand/go-periphrases. Previous work has mostly concentrated on the Salentino-speaking area on account of the peculiar periphrastic structure involving exclusively (pseudo-)coordination/
parataxis: while stand/go remains largely invariable, only the lexical V2 carries person-agreement features and TAM-specifications. At the border with the Apulo-Barese speaking area, however, there is evidence of a transitional area where paratactic and hypotactic
structures meet and overlap, giving rise to such ‘hybrid’ periphrastic conjugations. To shed light on the nature and status of such ‘hybrid’ patterns, the distribution of infinitival-V2 vs inflected-V2 forms is tackled from a micro-diachronic and comparative perspective. More specifically, the ‘hybrid’ periphrastic pattern with the least inflected V2 paradigmatic cells (2sg-3sg of the present indicative), attested in central Apulo-Barese, appears more resistant to change than the pattern with the inflected V2 in the  1sg-2sg-3sg-3pl persons, found in part of southern Apulo-Barese varieties. This resistance could be ascribed to syncretism and analogical processes among the forms of the present indicative, infinitive, and imperative.