When Greek meets Romance: Processes of Hellenization and Romanicization in southern Italy

This article brings to light the relevance of a range of phenomena which illustrate processes of both de-Romanicization (viz. Hellenization) and Romanicization affecting the morphosyntax of the Romance and Greek varieties of southern Italy. In the former case examples draw on such phenomena as finite and infinitival complementation, genitive and dative case syncretism, and the distribution and values of perfective verb forms, whereas in the latter case examples come from word order within the nominal group, the emergence of new active-inactive ­alignments, the reorganization of non-active voice distinctions and so-called medio­passives. The data show how grammars in contact can influence each other to the extent that interference can lead not only to structural calquing and the transfer of linguistic material and patterns, but also to new hybrid structures which are neither wholly Greek nor Romance, but have been brought into existence by processes of reanalysis. In other cases, an original structure, once transferred from the model language into the replica language, may even act as the catalyst for language-internal, endogenous change.