The emergence of 'Adverb + Complementiser' constructions in Catalan

Abstract

This article explores the emergence and syntax of structures conveying speaker-oriented epistemic judgements involving an epistemic adverb and a comple­mentiser in Catalan. Firstly, we show that in Modern Catalan this construction involves (i) an epistemic adverb located in a head related to the encoding of clausal modality within the left periphery, (ii) a silent truth predicate, and (iii) a clause headed by high que as the predicate’s complement. Secondly, the emergence of the first ‘epistemic adverb + complementiser’ structures in Old Catalan is explored. This new analysis opens up questions regarding the evolution of ‘epistemic adverb + complementiser’ construc­tions in the Iberian Peninsula and the Romania, as well as the structure of the left periphery.