L’infinito verbale dal latino alle lingue romanze

This article is a study of diachronic typology in which we analyse first forms and functions of verbal infinitive in Latin and then the various ways in which the main Romance languages have developed verbal infinitive itself. We claim that Romance languages show different degrees of development of verbal infinitive, especially if we consider the possibilities of having infinitive constructions with specified subjects. The lowest degree of development of verbal infinitive is represented by Rumanian, due to the fact that this language has been influenced by other languages of the so called “Balkan league”. Other languages, such as Italian and French, in the course of their history have reduced the functions of verbal infinitive because they have drastically restricted infinitive constructions with specified subjects; so, infinitive is used mainly as a form which is non finite stricto sensu, i. e., among other things, without its own subject, different from the one of the main verb. In Spanish and even more in Portuguese, instead, infinitive constructions with specified subjects are much more used, especially if we consider adverbial subordinate clauses. In Portuguese, moreover, there is a conjugated infinitive, which agrees with its own subject, so that constructions which are half way between implicit and explicit subordinates are possible. Therefore, we conclude that, as regards the development of verbal infinitive, the main Romance languages occupy different places along a continuum, with Rumanian and Portuguese at the two extremes of it