In this paper, I investigate non-canonical negation strategies
realized through co-etymological forms as they are found in the geographical
variety of Italian and the Italo-Romance dialect spoken in Lavello, a small
town of the Basilicata region. Firstly, I consider the outcomes of the
Jespersen\u2019s cycle that involve a particle derived from
Latin mca(m) (\u201ccrumb\u201d) in Italian and in Lavellese. Forms connected with
this lexical type have traditionally been considered to belong only to Northern
(and Central) dialects, while they have not yet been fully investigated in
Southern dialects. Besides, I focus on the outcomes of language contact
between Italian and Lavellese, by highlighting the bidirectionality of its
dynamics, and by relating the functions covered by the negative particles to
the pragmatic notions of subjectivity and inter-subjectivity
