Nominal syntax (and morphology) at the Ligurian/Occitan border Diego Pescarini (CNRS, Université Côte d’Azur, BCL) The paper deals with the syntax of Niçard/Niçois, the variety of Occitan spoken in the city of Nice (France), and the Ligurian dialects spoken at the French/Italy border. The debate on the dialects of this area has been characterised by a high degree of ideological polarization and, at the scientific level, most studies have examined this contact/transition area with the intent of providing a sound and, possibly, conclusive classification (see Dalbera 1994 a.o.). For this reason, previous studies have mainly focused on phonetic and morphological traits, whereas syntax has been examined cursorily and only with respect to well-known distinctive characteristics such as the presence vs absence of subject clitics (in Ligurian and southern Occitan, respectively) or the enclitic vs proclitic placement of object clitics in infinitives, etc. This study has no classificatory aim; rather it intends to provide a microcomparative analysis of selected varieties, focusing on the syntax of the noun phrase. In particular, it will focus on the order and combinatorial restrictions of nominal modifiers, the order and interpretation of adjectives, the syntax of nominal complements, and the marking of gender and number agreement within the nominal phrase (on number morphology, see Forner 1991). The study will be based on a corpus study of 20th century texts (at present several varieties, including Niçard/Niçois, are severely endangered and used only by semi-speakers) and novel data obtained in the framework of the Nice-based projects Thesoc1 and VERA2.

References DALBERA, Jean-Philippe 1994. Les parlers des Alpes-Maritimes. Étude comparative. Essai de reconstruction. London: Institut d’Estudis Occitans FORNER, Werner 1991. Relikte sigmatischer Pluralmarkierung und i-Umlaut im ligurischokzitanischen Übergangsgebiet, J. Kramer (cur.), Sive Padi ripis Athesim seu propter amoenum, Hamburg: 81-102

1 http://thesaurus.unice.fr/ 2 http://univ-cotedazur.fr/fr/idex/academies/human-societies-ideas-and-environments/contents/projects/vera- video-ethnotextes-et-ressources-associees/@@highlight_view#.XcA64dV7k2w