Chilean Clitic Reduplication: Implications for Morphology and Syntax

Abstract

This paper explores the phenomenon of clitic duplication in Spanish as seen in the sentence Te voy a pegarte (‘I’m going to hit you’). Structures like these have several interesting implications for the Spanish language and generativist syntax. Neverthelesss, clitic duplication has not been extensively examined in the generativist literature. This working paper will critically review the small body of existing work on clitic reduplication. Furthermore, based on data gathered from native speakers of Chilean Spanish, it will provide some preliminary evidence for strengthening the argument that Spanish clitics are object agreement morphemes. Ultimately, this paper aims to provide a base to further pursue the topic of Chilean clitic reduplication to make more theoretically sound claims, provide more robust empirical data, and to propose a more formalized argument of the phenomena. Pedagogical implications of the argument are also considered.