Maris Camilleri

Free Relatives in Maltese

This paper makes a contribution to our understanding of free relative clauses (FRCs) in Maltese, in particular so-called plain, standard or non -ever free relative clauses. We demonstrate that such FRCs are interpreted as definites, consistent with the findings in much previous literature on other languages. However, we also show that Maltese has not one but two strategies for plain (realis or definite) FRCs: alongside FRCs formed using a wh-word we also find FRCs introduced by the complementising element li, inconsistent with the seemingly widespread assumption that FRCs necessarily involve a wh-word. Both strategies give rise to definite interpretations. Additionally, we argue that definite or realis wh- FRCs are to be distinguished from a different (but apparently structurally identical) type, the so-called irrealis free relative clause or modal existential construction, which has not been previously identified for Maltese. We show that this subset of free relatives exhibit the properties associated with the modal existential construction crosslinguistically. We then demonstrate the existence of a subtype of headed relative clauses in Maltese which also share a number of the properties which we identify in the Maltese modal existential construction.

Relativisation in Maltese

We develop a detailed description of the differences and similarities between the syntax of restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses in Maltese. We show that Maltese makes use of both a complementiser strategy and a wh-pronoun strategy in each type of relative clause. We discuss in some detail the ways in which the distribution of gaps and resumptive pronouns differs between these two strategies, being heavily constrained in the case of the wh-pronoun strategy. The discussion highlights some differences between the standard and dialectal varieties of Maltese, especially in regard to wh-relatives. Beyond these major strategies, we illustrate two further relative constructions, a highly constrained bare relativisation strategy for restrictive relativisation and a further wh-pronoun strategy found only in non-restrictives. While the main focus of this paper is a synchronic description of relativisation in Maltese, we draw a number of comparisons between Maltese and some Arabic dialects, in particular the Western dialects to which Maltese is closely related.