Asturian and Asturian Spanish at the syntax-phonology interface : Cliticization phenomena and beyond

Abstract

A number of movement-related phenomena from Asturian as well as from the Spanish spoken in the Principality of Asturias are amenable to accounts where the Pronounce-Highest-Copy requirement in Phonetic Form can be overridden if convergence so demands. Therefore, the evidence adduced here supports the view that the requirements imposed by the Phonetic Form component may take precedence over purely syntactic requirements. In this connection, we argue for a novel analysis of the enclitic-proclitic contrast in Asturian and Asturian Spanish in finite and non-finite contexts, alongside extensions to other constructions, which add to the ample stock of phenomena supporting the rather successful Copy Theory of Movement.