# Novel forms for the expression of aspect in heritage Greek across majority languages

## TL;DR

This paper explores how heritage Greek speakers in Germany and the US use new ways to express verb aspect, showing differences from native speakers.

## Contribution

The study identifies novel non-canonical forms for verbal aspect in heritage Greek grammars, linked to re-organized φ-features and morpho-phonological challenges.

## Key findings

- Heritage speakers produce novel morphological forms for verbal aspect.
- Φ-features and aspect are the most re-organized elements in heritage Greek verbs.
- Heritage speakers in the US show greater difficulty with morpho-phonological adjustments than those in Germany.

## Abstract

This paper investigates, on the one hand, which verbal features are re-organized in heritage grammars and, on the other hand, the production of novel non-canonical forms for the expression of verbal aspect by Greek heritage speakers in Germany and the US compared to monolingually-raised speakers of Modern Greek (henceforth Greek). As aspect cannot be seen in isolation from other morphological features such as voice, tense, and phi-features, the analysis of the novel forms is conducted under the prism of the verbal complex. The results indicate that φ-features and aspect seem to be the most re-organized elements encoded in Greek verbs and, furthermore, that heritage speaker groups differ significantly from monolingually-raised controls in terms of the production of novel morphological forms, demonstrating that heritage speakers, especially those in the US, face difficulties with the morpho-phonological adjustments needed to be built in verbal forms.