Conditional connection explored: the case of Sicilian "cusà"
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| Year of publication | 2021 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Stemming from a wh-question, the Sicilian marker cusa (cu sa ‘who knows’) expresses several epistemic meanings, which can also reach the realm of conditionality. The paper explores the discourse profile of cusa as it emerges from the analysis of diachronic data (18th-19th centuries) and present-day spoken written Sicilian (web data). These data suggest the possible development path leading from the wh-question to new functions. We propose that the origin of this development can be explained in the light of the strategy of “impossible question”, while the diverse functions of cusa emerged through concomitant processes of desemantisation, reanalysis and subjectification. |