Gjuhësi Ballkanike

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Chapter VIII
The Redoubling of the Objects
This syntactic phenomenon developed in all the Balkan languages, particularly in Albanian and
Macedonian, has been generally considered as a balcanism as well, although it is encountered
also in some western Romance languages.(1). In current Albanian the redoubling of the direct
object has become a generalized phenomenon only when it is expressed by a personal pronoun
of the first two persons, representing the rheme of the communication or making part of it. Such
a phenomenon appears likewise in the deeds of the Albanian ancient authors, particularly by
Budi. In this function it is not conditioned by its position before or after the predicate. (2). But
when it is expressed by other words, i.e. not by the personal pronouns of the first two persons,
the redoubling of the direct object takes place only when it represents the theme of the
communiacation or is a part of it. The same situation appears also in the deeds of the ancient
Albanian authors. (3). The redoubling of the indirect object, too, has become a generalized
phenomenon in current Alanian, when it is expressed by the personal pronouns of the first two
persons, representing the rheme of the communication. In other cases it is redoubled not only
when it represents the rheme, but also the theme of the communication (see the Albanian
version). In both cases the redoubling takes place independently of the position of the object
before or after the predicate. In the deeds of the ancient authors, particularly by Buzuku, the
redoubling of the indirect object is not so frequent as in current Albannian.(4).
The situation exposed in && 2-4 represents the further evolution of a syntactic phenomenon
that had begun since the preliterary period of Albanian. It goes without saying that in more
ancient times the opposition rheme ~ theme was realized by other means (see the Albanian
version).(5).
The main factor accounting for the redoubling of the objects expressed by a personal pronoun of
the first two persons has obviously been the aim of the speaker to render more evident these
chief complementing terms of the predicate, when they represented the rheme of the
communication, or made part of it. It is more likely that such a phenomenon has originally
occurred in sentences, in which the object, on account of emphasis, was placed at the outset.
One cannot, however, rule out the possibility that in some cases the unstressed form should have
anticipated the stressed one. At any rate, this phenomenon in both cases has developed since
early.(6).
The redoubling of the objects by the unstressed pronominal forms of the third person is still
more difficult to be historically explained. It is to be presumed that in such cases the redoubling
of the objects has originally taken place in sentences, in which they represented the theme of the
communication. The chief factor of the redoubling then should have been the desire of the
speaker to render more concrete the indefinite semantic content of the unstressed forms of the
third person of the personal pronouns. At any rate, in this case, too, the question is of a
relatively ancient tendency of the Albanian language to use redundant linguistic means
whenever it was necessary.(7).
The redoubling of the objects expressed by the first two persons of the personal pronouns has
taken place, most probably, somewhat earlier. In such a case, one should not exclude the
possibility that it may have exerted a cartain influence upon the redoubling of the objects
expressed by the unstressed forms of the personal pronouns of the third person.(8).
In Rumanian, too, the redoubling of the objects expressed by the first two persons of the
personal pronouns has become a generalized phenomenon, independently of their position
before or after the verb. In the remaining cases, the redoubling of the objects may be either
obligatory, or facultative, or impossible. It is to be emphasized that the redoubling of the
indirect object in Rumanian has not been generalized, as in Albanian. It seems that the main
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