Generative approach to the structure of negative sentences in Albanian

This paper examines the components of negative sentences in Albanian from the perspective of generative linguistics. Main aim is to analyze the functions and positions of negative elements in the structure of Albanian sentences, providing a comparison with other languages to highlight the universal features and specificities of Albanian.

The focus of the analysis are the main negative particles such as “nuk”, “s’”, “mos”, and “as”, which are used to express simple and compound negation, including double and intensive negation. Elements such as “nuk” and “s’” are positioned immediately before the verb to express a simple negation and operate in a C-command relation that blocks the placement of other elements between them and the verb. In the syntactic structure, their position is above the subject and immediately before the predicate, blocking any other element from being placed between them and the verb. While “mos” is used mainly in the imperative, subjunctive and imperative moods, taking position before the modal particle or auxiliary verb to control the actions of the verb. “As” reinforces negation and can be positioned before the verb or other constituents to create polynegative structures. Comparisons with languages such as Italian and English emphasize that Albanian has developed polynegative structures, which allow the use of multiple negative elements without violating the grammaticality of the sentence. This analysis suggests that Albanian, through complex negation structures, complies with some of the universal principles of generative linguistics, while simultaneously maintaining special features that challenge some assumptions of standard generative syntax.