On agreement feature processing and representation *

Agreement is normally defined as an asymmetric dependency whose realization proceeds (i) in a subject-toverb direction and (ii) independently from the thematic and discourse functions of the elements involved. In this work, I review some experimental data from Spanish and Italian showing that the directionality of agreement is not as rigid as assumed in standard models and that the comprehension of these dependencies critically touches on the discourse component. I wish this could be as inspiring to Luigi’s work as my conversations with him have been to me. 1