Variation in noun phrase anaphora: null objects and direct object pronouns

This paper presents quantitative results on the variation between the presence of direct object clitics —lo(s) and la(s)— and their omission —null object or zero anaphora— when the antecedent is a noun phrase in the monolingual Spanish of Mexico City from a variationist perspective. The set of variables analyzed is related to the features of the nominal antecedent. As will be shown, this variety of Spanish shows a reduction in the restrictions for the use of the null object. Keywords: monolingual Spanish; dialectal variation; accusative clitics; zero anaphora; variationist sociolinguistics.