Journal | Balcania et Slavia
Journal issue | 3 | 2 | 2023
Research Article | The Diachrony of Subjunctive-Infinitive Competition in Balkan Slavic
The Diachrony of Subjunctive-Infinitive Competition in Balkan Slavic
Typological vs. Sprachbund Phenomena
Abstract
The paper analyses the phenomenon of infinitive loss in Balkan Slavic in the context of the broader cross-linguistic process of subjunctive-infinitive competition (SIC). I adopt a diachronic perspective, analysing the historical developments pertaining to SIC in languages ranging from Old Church Slavonic to present-day Bulgarian and Serbian. The main goal of the paper is to distinguish between those instances of Balkan-Slavic infinitive loss that are a result of broader typological processes and those that can be viewed as genuine Balkan-sprachbund innovations. The specific Balkan innovation in this context was the replacement of infinitives by finite subjunctives in obligatory subject-control environments. I analyse this diachronic development as the result of a formal reanalysis affecting the syntactic status of the Balkan-Slavic subjunctive marker, which allowed it to spread to obligatory-control structures.
Submitted: Feb. 12, 2024 | Accepted: April 3, 2024 | Published April 18, 2024 | Language: en
Keywords Balkans sprachbund • Infinitive • Subjunctive • Bulgarian • Old Church Slavonic • Serbian
Copyright © 2023 Tomislav Sočanac. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/BES/2785-3187/2023/02/005
