Conclusions

This chapter summarizes the main conclusions reached through the investigation of Latin indefinites and of their Romance continuations. In the case studies under analysis, the process of change originates from phenomena taking place already in Late Latin. In particular, developments affecting the syntax of negation in Late Latin play a fundamental role, triggering lexical renewal and functional shifts in the domain of indefinites. It is frequently the case that Romance languages, while sharing significant similarities, differ profoundly from Classical Latin: for the cases discussed here, they ‘differentiate in parallel’ because they inherit from Late Latin the fundamental prerequisites for later changes. The results of this study, thanks to the interplay of theoretical and diachronic linguistics, confirm the systematic nature of change at the syntax–semantic interface.