Notes on the Morphology and Syntax of a ‘Restsprache in Re’ : Istro-Romanian

After taking a cursory look at the ancient world at the beginning, the article moves on to consider a language variety that is still spoken today, albeit in an advanced state of language shift: Istro-Romanian. Its high degree of permeability to the contact language (Croatian) will be discussed by adducing examples of morphology (verb tense and aspect; comparative and superlative formation) and syntax (clitic placement; conjunctions) and concluding that Istro-Romanian in its current phase has properties that allow it to be termed a ‘Restprache in re’. Given the uniformitarian principle, the study of such a language can provide insights and serve as a term of comparison for ancient Restprachen.