Abstract
Direct object clitics in Spanish are morphological markers at the interfaces of syntax, phonology, morphology, and information structure (Zwicky 1985; Ordóñez & Repetti 2006; Belloro 2007; Spencer & Luís 2012). In bilingual acquisition they are subject to variability (McCarthy 2008). In this paper we explore the morphology-syntax-information structure mapping of direct object clitics in clitic structures in a range of speakers that includes Quechua-dominant bilinguals and Spanish monolingual individuals along a continuum of language contact situations. Our findings indicate clear dissociation between syntactic properties and marking of morphological features. They also indicate a Progression from default gender marking in clitics to a scalar system of clitic forms based on animacy and informational value along the continuum of speakers. The findings of this exploratory study support the view that while clitics exhibit common syntactic properties across a continuum of speakers, they vary in morphological marking and informational value.