Bilectal Investigations of Grammar A Clitic Placement View from Cyprus

Abstract

Research on variation and concomitant bilingualism arising from local languages has gained a lot of traction recently—and rightly so, since it can inform on so many levels. In this respect, Cyprus is in a special position when it comes to the study of language. This paper reports on one aspect of our lab’s research agenda: the relevance of the difference in object clitic placement between the official languages (Standard Modern Greek) and the local vernacular (Cypriot Greek) for linguistic theorizing, but also for language practices. This paper also engages with accounts capturing variation in language and among speakers, framing the different lects of local language speakers in terms of a ‘UG from below’ rather than strictly parametric approach, as merged into a single, mixed grammar.