West Slavic

Abstract This chapter introduces the major clitic phenomena of the West Slavic (WSl) literary languages, which fall into three discrete groups. Here we survey the clitic systems of near neighbors Czech (Cz) and Slovak (Slk), the (east) Lekhitic language Polish (Pol) and, to complete the picture, the isolated pair of Upper Sorbian (USor) and Lower Sorbian (LSor). As in SSl, there is considerable diversity among these WSl systems, from the fairly strict second-position placement displayed by clitics in Cz, Slk and the Sorbians, to the striking freedom of Pol clitics. In discussing these languages, we provide somewhat more detailed description for Cz and Pol than the other WSl languages. The reasons for this are because in relevant respects Slk is highly similar to Cz, for which we have much more accessible information and hence take as a point of departure, and because for the Sorbians there is not much literature available (and virtually none written in any generative paradigm) on syntax in general, let alone on the Clitic systems.