Clines of modality: the case of macari
Abstract
The word macari and its numerous variants (macar, magari, maguer etc.) is spread all over the countries around the Mediterranean Sea and the Balcans, showing a relatively huge number of meanings and functions. In the present paper, after a concise illustration of the state-of-the art of the research, special attention will be paid to Sicilian in comparative Romance perspective, focusing on Italo-Romance in particular. Both ancient and recent data from Sicilian will be analysed, according to the textual genres they belong to. The attempt will be made to envisage a possible trajectory of the semantic development concerning macari that can be represented with the cline optative > irrealis > possibility > purely additional. Finally, it will turn out to be clear that Eastern Sicily, the part of the region most influenced by Greek, played a crucial role in the history of macari.
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