French Studies Publications
Title
Ve as a Second-Position Clitic
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2001
Volume
40
Issue
1
Journal
Oceanic Linguistics
First Page
135
Last Page
142
Abstract
Contrary to previous claims in the literature, it is argued that ve, the yes-no particle in Malagasy, is a second-position clitic. Although ve typically appears at the right edge of the predicate phrase, in sentences with nonstandard word order, it surfaces in second position. Ve is contrasted with other particles that are not second-position clitics but pattern with adverbs. The implications of the placement of ve for analyses of Malagasy clause structure are discussed.
Notes
Dr. Ileana Paul is currently a faculty member at The University of Western Ontario.