Symmetry and antisymmetry in syntax

Abstract

New evidence is provided that Romance Clitic Right-Dislocation cannot be the mirror image of Clitic Left-Dislocation nor its covert counterpart. It is also shown that an analysis postulating two leftward topic positions (Split-Topic Analysis) is more adequate on both conceptual and empirical grounds, since it complies with the highly restrictive view of syntax imposed by Kayne's Linear Correspondence Axiom, and offers a principled explanation of the consistent set of similarities and differences between Clitic Right-Dislocation and Clitic Left-Dislocation.