Binding Hierarchy and peculiarities of the verb potere in some Southern Calabrian varieties

In Extreme Southern dialects of Italy, complement clauses can appear in three different ways: (1) with the infinitive; (2) with mŏdo + ind. (in Salentino quod + ind.); (3) with ca/chi + ind. Dependent finite clauses headed by mŏdo/quod replace the infinitive particularly when the matrix predicate is a verb expressing will, wish, aim or intention. This replacement, which represents a syntactic calque from Italo-Greek varieties, finished to involve also the verb potere ‘can’, in a different way from Italo-Greek, where it is is the only verbal form which never appears in this construction. Aim of this paper is twofold: (1) showing the contexts where potere surfaces with a dependent clause; (2) trying to clarify why verbs expressing will or wish constitute the core of predicates which occur with mŏdo/quod + ind.

• Affiliations: 1: University of Messina