37.681, Diss: Semitic, West Semitic; Tigrinya; Linguistic Theories, Syntax: Gioia Cacchioli: "The Syntax of Clausal Prefixes in Tigrinya"

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-681. Wed Feb 18 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.681, Diss: Semitic, West Semitic; Tigrinya; Linguistic Theories, Syntax: Gioia Cacchioli: "The Syntax of Clausal Prefixes in Tigrinya"

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Date: 18-Feb-2026
From: Gioia Cacchioli [gioia.cacchioli at unige.ch]
Subject: The Syntax of Clausal Prefixes in Tigrinya


Institution: Université de Genève (Geneva, Switzerland)
Degree Date: 2026

Dissertation Title: The Syntax of Clausal Prefixes in Tigrinya

Dissertation URL: https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:191615

Linguistic Field(s): Linguistic Theories
                     Syntax

Subject Language(s): Tigrinya (tir)

Language Family(ies): Semitic
                      West Semitic

Dissertation Director(s): Ur Shlonsky (supervisor), Eric Haeberli
(co-supervisor), Tabea Ihsane (president), Ruth Kramer (member), Jason
Overfelt (member), Coppe van Urk (member)

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation investigates the syntax of clausal prefixes in
Tigrinya, an Ethio-Semitic language which, despite its head-finality,
exhibits clause-initial complementizers that attach as prefixes to
embedded verbs (clausal prefixes). It challenges the view that
prefixes in head-final languages have an intrinsic morphological
property, proposing instead that their surface position results from
specific syntactic constraints. Four main clausal prefixes are
analyzed. Z(ɨ)-, found in relative clauses, noun clausal complements,
and comparative clauses, is argued to be a reflex of successive-cyclic
A'-movement triggered by Spec-Head agreement in a phasal aspectual
projection. Kɛmz(ɨ)-, a bimorphemic element consisting of a
preposition plus z(ɨ)-, introduces complement clauses that are argued
to be underlying relative clauses involving the A'-movement of a null
nominal. K(ɨ)-, a subjunctive marker, is claimed to occur in reduced
clauses whose temporal interpretation depends on the matrix clause and
to appear either as a low MoodP head or as a reflex of temporal
operator movement. ʔaj-...-(ɨ)n, the circumfix used to mark sentential
negation, reflects split negation, with the prefix merged in low NegP
and the suffix in high PolP. These findings support a more local view of
A'-movement than standard phase theory and point to a refined notion
of cyclicity, offering a novel perspective on the syntax of prefixes in
head-final languages.



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