Mechanisms for encoding compositional telicity: the function and distribution of dative clitic pronouns in Northern Calabrian

In the present paper, we examine the function and distribution of specific constructions including a dative clitic pronoun in both the dialect varieties spoken in Rogliano and Santo Stefano di Rogliano (Cosenza, Italy), and the regional variety spoken in Cosenza. We show how the presence vs. absence of the dative clitic constitutes a strategy for encoding the presence vs. absence of telicity, in the event representation denoted by two-argument verbs such as “to eat” and “to drink”.