Some aspects of the noun phrase in extreme southern Calabrian dialects: study on Galati variety

Abstract

Some aspects of the noun phrase in extreme southern Calabrian dialects: study on Galati variety The main purpose of this work is to investigate the distribution of some determiners within the nominal expression in extreme southern Calabrian dialects. The dissertation will principally address the distribution of articles, zero determiner and demonstratives. The study aims to determine the environments in which these categories are licensed. It has been chosen to take into consideration only NPs in argument position and the research will focus particularly on the position of the determiners with respect to: 1. Proper names 2. Count singular nouns 3. Count plural nouns 4. Mass nouns 5. Kinship nouns Sentences in (6-10) will provide some examples regarding the abovementioned categories in the variety to be investigated. 6. Francu telefonau (Gal.) Frank called 7 . Vitti chistu libru (Gal.) [I] saw this book 8. 'ncuntraru l'amici nostri (Gal.) [They] met the friends our They met our friends 9. 'Mbivia ddhu vinu (Gal.) [I] drank that wine 10. I me figghioli rrivaru (Gal.) The my children arrived My children arrived

In order to achieve the aforementioned goal, a specific dialect has been chosen; that is to say Galati variety (RC). The data, collected through interviews with native speakers, have shown that definite articles may be interpreted in different ways with respect to their degree of definiteness. Throughout the work space will be given to the analysis of this phenomenon in comparison with the results obtained from the study of determinerless noun phrases. Moreover, a chapter of this dissertation will deal with the concept of partitivity. On such account evidence will be given that demonstratives are the sole determiners able to partially license the presence of partitive elements. Throughout the whole paper data will be analyzed in contrast with those of Standard Italian and of other Romance languages, with the exclusive purpose of better highlighting similarities and differences among the languages. Keywords: Southern Italian dialects, determiners, possessives, indefinites, noun phrase.