Inversion as a residual old Romance V2 grammar

Abstract

This chapter focuses on ‘inversion’ in the verbal domain (i.e. verb–auxiliary and verb–pronominal clitic linearizations) and shows that old Romanian inversion represents the residual instantiation of an old Romance V2 grammar by means of a word order pattern widespread in the Balkan languages – the so-called ‘Long Head Movement’ pattern. Prior to its complete jettison, residual V2 is reanalysed as a focus-marking strategy. Patterns of pronominal cliticization, the structure of auxiliary-based analytic constructions, verb-initial structures, the height (V-to-I vs V-to-C movement) and strategy (head vs phrasal movement) of V-raising in Romanian, the syntax of adverbial clitics, as well as quantitative analyses of the distribution of V-to-C movement vs V-to-I movement are addressed in the analysis of the V2 phenomenon with reference to old Romanian.