enclíticas

Enclitics are unstressed words that are phonologically bound to a preceding word, forming a single prosodic unit. They are often grammatical particles or pronouns that lose their independent stress and attach to the host word. For example, in Spanish, the object pronouns me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, and las are enclitics when they follow an infinitive, gerund, or imperative verb, as in "dame" (give me) or "cantándolo" (singing it). In Latin, the enclitics -que (and) and -ne (question particle) are common, as in "virtusque" (and virtue) or "cupidine" (do you desire?). The grammatical function and stress pattern of enclitics can vary significantly across languages. They are distinct from proclitics, which attach to the following word, and from separate, stressed words. The study of enclitics is important in phonology and morphology for understanding word structure and prosodic organization. Their presence can affect the stress patterns of the host word and the overall rhythm of speech.