summary of Italian NP

[bingfu]

Dear Netters,

	A while ago, I posted the following query.
Longogbardi 1994 provides the following paradigm.

               a.      Il  mio Giani ha finalmente telefonato	
                       the my Gianni    finally    called up

               b.      *Mio Gianni ha finalmente telefonato
                         my Gianni    finally    called up

               c.      Gianni mio ha finalmente telefonato		
                       Gianni my     finally    called up
                       Gianni my     finally    called up

               d.      Il  Gianni  mio ha finalmente telefonato	
                       the Gianni  my     finally    called up


He accounts for the paradigm in formalist terms and takes them as crucial
evidence
for N movement hypothesis.

My questions are:

1. Is there any functional explanation?

2. Is there any meaning difference among a, c and d,
especially between c and d.

	Bingfu Lu

	I now got eight responses and the following is my summary for
your information.  If somebody needs all these responses, let me know
and I will forward them to the individual.

			SUMMARY
Most importantly, several netters pointed out that the four sentences
belong to different
Italian dialects.  Specifically, (a) is of standard Italian (Northern
dialect) and
(c) and (d) are of Southern dialects.

The explanation of the pragmatic differences among the four sentences seem
to be
various form person to person.

Francesca Fici points out that both (b) and (d) are bad.

Rick Mc Callister
says that while article + possessive + noun is the norm in standard
Italian for
inanimate objects, the article is dropped for human relationships.

Giampaolo Poletto provides a very detailed explanation of the differences
among the four.
In his, opinions, (b) is not completely bad, but just not complete.

Nigel J. Ross claims:
(b). could more or less be heard in fast speech, the article "il" being
just
about lost. Nevertheless, there would be some slight slurred indication of
the presence of "il".
In addition to regional difference, (c) could also suggest a slightly
stronger
involvement, perhaps indicating a closer affection (than a.) In the
Italian
versions of "Oh my God!": "O mio Dio!" and "O Dio mio!", the second is in
some ways stronger, more tragic, and - of course - more southern (more
histrionic??).


	Thanks for the followin netters who offered their
responses.

Giulia Bencini <bencini at psych.colorado.edu
Pier Marco Bertinetto" <bertiNET at SNS.IT
Rick Mc Callister <rmccalli at MUW.Edu
Francesca Fici <frafici at CESIT1.UNIFI.IT
Seth Jerchower <sejerchower at JTSA.EDU
Gabriele Pallotti <pallotti at dsc.unibo.it
Giampaolo Poletto <brave at chiostro.univr.it>, <dylandog at btk.jpte.hu>
Nigel J. Ross" <njross at iol.it


Bingfu Lu
USC