Publication details

Exploring phonological and prosodic factors shaping the positional variability of the Old Czech be-auxiliary

Authors

BŘEZINA Martin

Year of publication 2024
Type Appeared in Conference without Proceedings
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Description This paper examines the differences between syllabic and non-syllabic "be" auxiliaries in contemporary Slavic languages. Specifically, I investigate the positional differences of the second and third person singular forms (j)si -- s, and je(st) -- j in Old Czech texts. The analysis considers two perspectives: the position within the clause (second position or elsewhere) and the position within the clitic cluster (i.e., left or right relative to pronominal/reflexive clitics). Preliminary results indicate a significant difference in word order between the analyzed (non-)syllabic forms. The inability of the 3sg je(st) to occupy the position to the left of the pronominal/reflexive clitics is consistent with data from other (historical) Slavic languages and is attributed to the lack of movement from the base position of je(st) to a higher position (possibly the head of AgrsP), in contrast to other forms. The difference in clausal position requires further investigation.
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