The inverse vocative in Sicilian regional Italian

Abstract This paper analyses the syntax of inverse vocatives (IV) in the Regional Italian variety spoken in Western Sicily, evaluating the possible presence of a null introductory element. IVs are a typologically rare phenomenon in which the speaker addresses the hearer by using an apparent vocative form referred to herself, and not to the hearer. From the perspective of Italian, the main challenge is whether to classify this construction as a vocative form or as some sort of indirect object with benefactive value. In this paper, we review the proposals discussed in the literature, which in several cases involve the presence of a null element, and we discuss novel data from the Regional variety of Italian spoken in Western Sicily, which, we show, are incompatible with the previous approaches. Therefore, we propose a new analysis, which is based on the structure of so-called “fake vocatives”: IVs are VocPs, in which the introducing element a is merged in Voc° and carries a [+deixis] feature that represents a ‘flipped’ deixis, which represents the point of view of the addressee. The element a can be absent, and in this case its function is fulfilled by a null Voc head. Thus, while being different from those proposed in the previous literature, a null element is still required to describe the IVs in Western Sicilian Italian.