Parameters in possessives: the Franco-Provençal dialect of Celle di San Vito (Apulia) as a case study

Abstract

The aim of this article is to propose an account of morpho-syntactic and interpretive properties of possessives looked at from the point of view suggested by the interplay between contact systems with prenominal and postnominal possessives. Thus, we will begin with briefly presenting the minority Franco-Provençal language of Celle di San Vito in Apulia and its linguistic position. Subsequently, we will dwell on the nature of possessive relation and its treatment in the literature, also taking account of the suggestions coming from cross-linguistic considerations (Albanian). Next, the data of Celle and the possessive systems of Southern Italian and Franco-Provençal varieties will be provided and compared. The final section illustrates some proposals concerning different possessive structures, specifically with regard to the distribution of possessive elements and the interaction with the definite article.