Word Order in Old Catalan Afra Pujol i Campeny Section of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Modern and Medieval Languages Faculty Queens’ College University of Cambridge September 2018 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ii ABSTRACT This thesis describes the word order of El Llibre dels Fets del Rey en Jacme, a 13th century Catalan chronicle widely known as El Llibre dels Fets. By exploring the position of the verb, the subject and the information structure of the Old Catalan of this text, it is concluded that Old Catalan was an SVO language that shared several features with its modern counterpart, such as the invariable location of informational focus to the right of the verb. For this purpose, a database of 2,000 syntactically parsed main and embedded clauses was produced, the Llibre dels Fets del Rey en Jacme (LFRJ) database. Verb position is studied in terms of linear verb positions and their frequencies, in regard to predicate types, in relation to adverb position, clitic placement, and in relation to polarity in both main and embedded clauses, showing that in both main and embedded clauses, the verb is located in the inflectional layer unless a specific trigger is identified as a trigger of V-to-C movement, as is the case with the expression of emphatic polarity. Furthermore, Old Catalan is shown to have an active projection in the inflectional domain where subjects and other discourse-anchoring elements, such as locatives, can occur, like its modern counterpart. Therefore, unlike it has been claimed for other Old Romance languages, Old Catalan had a specialised verbal prefield. Subjects can also be left and right-dislocated, as well as focalised. In terms of Information Structure, it is shown that Old Catalan’s Informational Focus is located postverbally, and not preverbally as in other Old Romance languages. Finally, a comparison between Modern Catalan and Old Catalan data shows that Modern Catalan oral texts share word order features with the data from El Llibre dels Fets, highlighting the importance of orality as a factor determining word order. iii iv DECLARATION This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specified in the text. This dissertation is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University of similar institution. The word count of this dissertation is 79,991 words, including footnotes and references but excluding the bibliography. Word count: 79,991 words v vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS E, quan aquest libre és aital, que coses de menuderies no y deu hom metre... El Llibre dels Fets, Fol. 116v, l 4 I arrived at Cambridge in October 2010, and little did I suspect then that I would end up writing up these lines to acknowledge all those that have contributed in different capacities to me completing this doctoral degree. First and foremost, I need to thank the Catalan school system and the excellent teachers that made me discover language, history, and the pleasure of learning beyond the textbook. In particular, Assumpció Rost and her excellent syntax classes, Maria Lluïsa Rich, for her inspiring Ancient Greek lessons, and Sefa, for her thorough teaching of the Latin language. I would also like to thank the University of Girona, who awarded me with a Botet i Sisó scholarship and allowed me to take my first steps in research by the hand of Avelina Suñer Gratacós. My first three years in Cambridge were an incredible intellectual and personal adventure that took place in the welcoming and stimulating contexts of the Faculty of Classics and Homerton College. I went through my BA in Classics under the supervision of Dr Pippa Steele, my ever-encouraging director of studies, and the support of excellent friends who have remained by my side since: Jack and Jon. When I decided to pursue further studies in Linguistics, I counted with the support of ‘la Caixa’, who awarded me with a full scholarship for my MPhil in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, and the AHRC, who fully funded my PhD in Old Catalan Linguistics at Queens’ College and has funded several work trips that have been key to my professional development, for which I am most grateful. I have been fortunate to count with Dr Ioanna Sitaridou as a supervisor for both the MPhil’s long essay and the PhD, providing me with constant support, valuable advice, and great opportunities to grow as a researcher, a teacher and a person. Eυχαριστώ πολύ. Working within the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics has allowed me to exchange ideas and receive the input of great colleagues among which Dr Theresa Biberauer, Dr Adam Ledgeway, Prof Ian Roberts, Prof Wendy Bennett, Prof Mari Jones and Dr Michelle Sheehan. The Graduate Centre and the hard-working lot that has inhabited it throughout these four years has provided an endless source of amusement and encouragement during lunch-breaks and sneaky trips to the pub. Thank you Kim, Alice, Ele, Abhi, Drasko, vii Oli, and of course, Ben and Jamie. An immense thanks to all those that have commented on my work in conferences, talks and via email: Dr George Walkden, Dr Christine Salvesen, Prof Lluïsa Hernanz, Dr Susan Fischer, and the various reviewers of my work. As a Batista i Roca fellow at Fitzwilliam College, I have also enjoyed the invaluable guidance and support of Prof Dominic Keown and the College itself, a place that I am proud to call home. As a member of the Spanish and Portuguese Section, I have been lucky enough to have Coral Neale guide me around the Section’s bureaucratic maze, with her endless optimism and great generosity. Muchísimas gracias, Coral. A big thank you to all my friends. Those in Cambridge, those in Catalonia, and those elsewhere. To na Laura, for all those Barcelona nights. To Víctor Lillo, for making it to our annual meeting all these years. To Jon, for the surreal and sarcastic conversations. To the CUCS, for being Catalan with me in the country of tea. To Chrissie, for all the gambes nights, timely chorizo risottos and Taste the Difference sauvignons blancs. To Kim and Francesco, the best housemates one could dream of (as long as one switches the lights off). To Harold, for his native English judgements (but… does he actually speak English?). To Víctor Acedo- Matellán, for the numerous Art after Dark sessions, the laughs, the moussakas, and the dairy free experiments. This thesis would not be the same without him. To Jack (I don’t think I have to say anything else, here). To Edu, for pretending that he actually enjoys providing me with grammatical judgements when he actually loathes them! To Artur, for making me feel like I can still speak Catalan and like I could finish this thesis. To Ángel, for sharing his PhD woes with me and listening to mine. Per les nenes, per ser-hi sempre. Gràcies. I ara, pels de casa. An immense thank you to all my family, for their tireless support, endless patience and constant encouragement at every step I have taken to reach this point. To Francesc Xavier Casademunt i Arimany, for his generous work on sayings and his love for our language and our country, which has inspired me to take the path that has lead me here. To Narcís Pujol i Martí and Rosa Casademunt i Piñol, for more than I can say here. To Facundo Campeny i Carbó and Rosa Puig Puig, for the long afternoons in the orchard. To Jordi Pujol Casademunt, for encouraging me to live fearlessly. To my siblings, for making me laugh when it seems impossible. To Isabel Campeny i Puig, for that Història de Catalunya Il·lustrada book that the tió shat me in 1998 and El Llibre de les Bèsties that the Three Wise Men got me in 2002. For all the pigeons, the nights by the fireplace with Marrufa and the walks with Nina. For putting up with Tit and his dribbling. For being always there. viii Et finalement, pour Aurél. Pour m’avoir accompagné à chaque pas de cette aventure, pendant qu’on enfilait la nôtre, avec des après-midis de punting, happy hours sur la terrace, promenades par Paris et nuits de canicule qui semblaient n’avoir aucune fin. Et pour tout ce qui nous attend. And one last ‘thank you’ to Jaume I, the author (or at least ideologue) of the source of most of my data: El Llibre dels Fets. Thanks to him for writing in plain prose (!) about his life and for reproducing dialogue fragments that will forever accompany me, with the noteworthy contributions of Hug Malavespa, Pere Grony and Ramon de Muntcada. “Rendets-vos, En Ramon, rendets-vos!” e dix En Ramon: “¿a qui·m rendria, miynon podent, a qui·m rendria?” El Llibre dels Fets, Fol. 24r, l 25 ix x TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Methodology (and the data) 4 2.1 The Text 4 2.2 Databases 6 2.2.1 The LFRJ database 6 2.2.2 Non-finite form database 9 2.2.3 Sí database 9 2.2.4 Victus database 9 2.2.5 Sobretaula database 9 2.2.6 Greuges data base 10 3 Verb position in Old Catalan 11 3.1 Verb Position in Main Clauses 15 3.1.1 Verb position frequencies in Old Catalan 15 3.1.2 Verb initial clauses 17 3.1.3 Verb third clauses 43 3.1.4 Adverb position 46 3.1.5 Clitic placement 48 3.1.6 Verb position and polarity 56 3.2 Verb position in embedded clauses