Universal Constraints on Balkanisms. A Case Study: The Absence of Clitic Climbing

In this paper, we investigate a syntactic gap in the structure of the Balkan languages, the absence of Clitic Climbing, which we argue to be a consequence of a well-known Balkanism, namely the loss of the infinitive. For this purpose, we propose a division of the finite constructions that have replaced the infinitive in three categories: Restructuring (Raising), Control, and Subjunctivelike constructions. We also briefly discuss evidence for the existence of selective Clitic Climbing in older stages and in modern dialects of the Balkan languages.