The clitic a as a sentential particle in early 20th-century Talian: a pragmatic and syntactic account

This paper presents new data concerning the clitic a in Northern Italian varieties. This item has generally been analyzed as a vocalic or invariable subject clitic occupying a high position inside the CP and related to information structure. The study expands this view by investigating the clitic a in early 20thcentury Talian, a heritage language spoken in Brazil. Drawing on data from the foundational novel Vita e stória de Nanetto Pipetta, the paper shows that a, although extended to all persons (a distinct feature of invariable subject clitics), predominantly functions as a sentential or modal particle. It encodes the speaker’s commitment and expectedness (or mirativity), thus operating at the syntax-pragmatics interface. The paper also maps the position of a within the left periphery of the clause, more specifically in the low-CP area, using a cartographic framework.