The reflexes of Latin desinential rV in Romanian conjugation as examples of exaptive change

Abstract

Abstract This paper attempts to motivate the distribution of the string r(V) in the forms of contemporary Romanian conjugation, which attests it in other than the distribution we expect proceeding from desinential rV , its origin in Latin conjugation, e.g., ră in the plural of the contemporary preterit (i.e., the paradigm traditionally designated perfectul simplu originating in the Latin perfect ) and thus occurring in forms like contemporary văzură ‘they saw’ . Such forms should attest final r arising via apocope of u , in this instance in Late Latin videru(nt) yielding Romanian * veder , the unattested immediate origin of văzură via both phonetic and morphological innovation. The analytic focus of my treatment is exaptive change or exaptation , an innovation predicated on the assumption that phonemic substance made available by compromised paradigms or parts thereof (i.e., paradigms partly or wholly in the process of being eliminated reflecting the systemic loss of their grammatical content) may remain and be re-assigned to instantiate systemically relevant grammatical meaning not already instantiated. As part of my analysis, I will suggest clarifications of our present understanding of exaptive change which I believe to be justified by the Romanian data.