Lateral Relations in Sardinian Metathesis: A Unified Account

Sardinian features various types of metatheses, both diachronic and synchronic with strong diatopic variation. Some types of metathesis are restricted to specific areas, while others are attested in more than one dialect. Here I focus on three diachronic metatheses from the southern area of the island. The goal of this paper is to provide a descriptive and theoretical account of Sardinian metathesis in terms of lateral relations. Assuming the tenets of the CVCV model, I propose that the structural conditions required for the application of metathesis are strictly related to the positional effects of Government and Licensing on liquids.