Criterial V2: ModP as a Locus of Microvariation in Swiss Romansh Varieties

Abstract In this article, we explore how cartographic maps interact with a concept of parameters in terms of syntactic operations triggered by morphosyntactic features in the spirit of Rizzi (2017. On the format and locus of parameters: The role of morphosyntactic features. Linguistic Analysis 41. 159–191). Adopting the guidelines of a criterial approach to verb second, in which the inflected verb creates a Spec-Head configuration (verb adjacency) with the highest activated criterial head in the syntactic architecture, we discuss microparametric variation among Swiss Romansh varieties concerning the activation of ModP, a dedicated criterial position for “highlighted” adverbials (Rizzi 2004. Locality and left periphery. In Adriana Belletti (ed.), Structures and beyond [the Cartography of syntactic structures], Vol. 3, 223–251. Oxford: Oxford University Press) within the left periphery of the clause.