Italian Verbs with Two Auxiliaries: A Forced-Choice Experiment

Abstract In this experiment, 62 university students, native speakers of Italian living in Northern Italy, were asked to choose between two nearly identical sentences featuring intransitive verbs which, according the literature, can take either auxiliary (AUX) essere “be” or avere “have” compound tenses. A binary logistic regression showed that for 40% time, participants preferred one AUX over other. general, frequency and association scores past participle input straightforwardly determined remaining preferences, especially choice . The impact verb semantics on participants’ choices depended AUX. presence telic completions inanimate subjects, likelihood be chosen increased, whereas no effect animacy completion type was found Based these data, may conclude (a) is more permeable both than ; (b) among educated young adult there much less optionality it assumed by some linguists.