
doi: 10.7557/12.6341
handle: 10037/27319
In traditional linguistics, pronouns are divided into two classes: those that can bear word stress, coined “strong”, “full” or “tonal”, and those that cannot, coined “weak”, “clitic”, or “atonal”. However, in the last decades, research on this topic has shown that items generally labeled as clitics are far more complex. Somewhere between words and affixes, these hybrid linguistic entities challenge both description and modeling. As for Romanian, the debate on weak (i.e., clitic) pronouns has been dominated by the question of their categorial status: are these items clitics or affixes? In this article, I present and scrutinize different approaches that support the claim that there are differences between proclitics and enclitics, i.e., between clitics occurring before vs. after the verb; this includes not only positional, but also featural differences. I identify various types of ambiguities in Romanian that could lead to improper data interpretation, and, based on an analysis of syllabicity – the most salient feature of Romanian weak pronouns – I refute claims for treating clitics in preverbal position differently than in postverbal position. Furthermore, using evidence from both historical data and data pertaining to language varieties, I show regularities in the Romanian weak pronoun system, bringing evidence against the claim that Romanian weak pronouns show a great deal of idiosyncrasies.
Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar, P101-410, Rumensk / Romanian, clitic pronouns, Språkbruk / Language use, Romanian, weak pronouns, Språk / Language, Språkmodell / Language Model, rule-based model, Generering av naturlig språk / Natural Language Generation, språkprosessering / language prosessing, clitics, description
Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar, P101-410, Rumensk / Romanian, clitic pronouns, Språkbruk / Language use, Romanian, weak pronouns, Språk / Language, Språkmodell / Language Model, rule-based model, Generering av naturlig språk / Natural Language Generation, språkprosessering / language prosessing, clitics, description
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
