Il marcamento di genere iperdifferenziato sui numerali e i residui del neutro nei volgari settentrionali antichi

Abstract

In this paper we sift the evidence for overdifferentiated gender marking on numerals in Medieval Italo-Romance. While the dialects of most of Northern Italy still preserve a masculine vs feminine contrast on 'two' and 'three' to this day, their ancestors in the Middle Ages featured an additional third form of each ("doa", "trea"). These forms, it is argued, are not innovations - as some have claimed - but are rather the legitimate outcome of previously regular neuter agreeing forms which can be traced directly back to (late) Latin. By Show more