Exploring phonological and prosodic factors shaping the positional variability of the Old Czech be-auxiliary
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | This paper examines the differences between syllabic and non-syllabic "be" auxiliaries in contemporary Slavic languages. Specifically, I investigate the positional differences of the second and third person singular forms (j)si -- s, and je(st) -- j in Old Czech texts. The analysis considers two perspectives: the position within the clause (second position or elsewhere) and the position within the clitic cluster (i.e., left or right relative to pronominal/reflexive clitics). Preliminary results indicate a significant difference in word order between the analyzed (non-)syllabic forms. The inability of the 3sg je(st) to occupy the position to the left of the pronominal/reflexive clitics is consistent with data from other (historical) Slavic languages and is attributed to the lack of movement from the base position of je(st) to a higher position (possibly the head of AgrsP), in contrast to other forms. The difference in clausal position requires further investigation. |
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