On Triple Complementation in Southern Lazio dialects

Abstract

Southern Italian dialects (SIDs) are traditionally claimed to use a dual finite complementiser system. In these varieties it is possible to distinguish between a complementiser derived from QUIA (>ca), which introduces propositional indicative complements, and a complementiser derived from QUID (>che, chə, chi), MODO (>mu, ma, mi), or QUOD (>cu) heading irrealis subjunctive complements (Rohlfs 1969: 190; Ledgeway 2000: 70-74; 2005, 2009, 2012; 2016; Manzini & Savoia 2005, I: 455-501, 650- 76; Colasanti 2015a, b). However, in this paper it will be shown that in the Southern Italian Dialects (SID) of Ferentino (province of Frosinone) is displayed a triple complementiser system (i.e. ca (<QUIA), chə (<QUID) and cu (<QUOD)), which is not only synchronically productive, but is also diachronically documented.