V2 and V3 in Rhaeto-Romance varieties: Rethinking language contact

The present contribution aims at re-evaluating the role of language contact in the emergence of V2 phenomena in Rhaeto-Romance varieties. Through a survey on the patterns of variation between V2 and V3 structures, the paper attempts (1) to determine the position of Rhaeto-Romance varieties within the spectrum of V2 languages devised by Cruschina & Sailor (2022), while also contextualising their development from Old Romance in accordance with Wolfe’s (2019) diachronic typology, and (2) to verify whether it is possible to draw a direct correlation between higher degrees of language contact and stricter V2 constraints. If, from a general perspective, the varieties that are characterised by a closer and more prolonged contact with German (such as Swiss Romansh and the Ladin varieties of South Tyrol) generally appear to exhibit V2 more systematically, a closer scrutiny of the single varieties and their instances of micro-variation does not support the hypothesis of a direct proportionality between syntactic structures and language contact: other factors, such as information structure, appear to override the general predictions. Furthermore, as stated in Cruschina & Sailor (2022), the literature on the diachronic development of V2 has mostly been focused on the loss or preservation of V2, rather than its extension or emergence. The paper thus also takes into account examples of V2 structures that appear to be emerging among the youngest informants of the Rhaeto-Romance varieties lacking a significant exposure to German influence (namely Friulian, Fassan and Fodom). Cumulatively, these observations (1) suggest that the syntactic system of Rhaeto-Romance presents a general tendency to develop V2 (as argued by Kaiser & Hack 2013) and (2) confirm that language contact does not constitute a trigger for the emergence of V2 in Rhaeto-Romance. Rather, it can act as a catalyst for the retention or reinforcement of preexisting features.