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The first aim of this paper is to make a thorough description of the use of nominals as well as of the use of the definite determiner in both Souletin (the most eastern dialect of Basque) and Standard Basque (plus the rest of Basque dialects). Then, assuming that Souletin is a previous stage compared to Standard Basque (cf. Michelena 1964, Camino to appear; cf. also Manterola 2012), the main aim of this paper is to explain how Basque historically moves from a situation where bare nouns (BNs) are allowed (in some restricted argument position and only in Souletin) to a situation where BNs are not allowed in argument position (Standard Basque). This paper argues that the reason we move from system A to system B is basically due to a semantic weakening and loss of the Souletin null D: (i) in Souletin BNs are full DPs with an empty head occupied by a phonetically null D--with indefinite reference and unspecified for number--, partly in line with Longobardi (1994, 2001); (ii) this null D loses its semantic features and since it is null it cannot be reanalyzed and gets lost; (iii) in Standard Basque, since null D is no longer available, the definite article [-a]--which will be argued to be a semantically flexible element--takes its place, as is phonologically a weak element, i.e. a suffix, and so the closest phonological alternative to the null D.

International audience; Basque weak quantifiers optionally agree with the inflected verb in number. This papers' main aim is to study the dialectal variation shown by this phenomenon. The study will show that it is necessary to differentiate at least three systems : the western-central system, the transition system, and the oriental system. The differences are twofold : (i) some concern the syntactic contexts in which the optional agreement is allowed. The western-central system allows it with every argument position ; the transition system does not allow it with ergative case arguments, and the oriental system allows it only with absolutive case arguments ; (ii) the rest concern the set of quantifiers that permit optional agreement : in the oriental system, weak cardinal quantifiers need not agree with the inflected verb ; in the rest of the systems, agreement is obligatory in these cases. This difference appears to be related to the ability to use bare nouns within the oriental system : bare nouns show the same syntactic distribution as non-agreeing weak cardinal quantifiers.; Euskarazko zenbatzaile ahulek pluraleko komunztadurarik gabe agertzeko aukera dute. Artikulu honek fenomeno horren baitan gertatzen den bariazio dialektala aztertu nahi du. Azterketa honek gutxienez hiru sistema bereizi behar ditugula erakusten du : mendebalde-erdialdekoa deituko duguna, trantsiziokoa (Lapurdiko hiztun zenbaitetan aurkitu duguna) eta ekialdekoa deitu duguna, Coyos-en (1999) Arbailetako (Zuberoa) hizkeraren azterketan oinarritua. Diferentziak bi mailatakoak direla erakutsiko dugu : (i) komunztadura eza zein kontestu sintaktikotan gertatzen den. Erdialdeko-mendebaldeko hizkerek argumentu guzietan agertzen dute ; trantsiziokoak ez du ergatiboarekin agertzen, eta ekialdeko hizkerek absolutiboekin bakarrik onartzen du ; (ii) fenomenoa erakusten duten zenbatzaileen multzoa bera : zubereraz, zenbatzaile kardinalek ez dute zertan pluraleko komunztadura egin ; beste sistemetan komunztadura ezinbestekoa da. Diferentzia hau iduriz ekialdeko hizkerek (gainontzeko hizkerek ez bezala) izen biluziak erabiltzeko duten gaitasunarekin lotzen da : izen biluziek zenbatzaile kardinal komunztaduragabeen distribuzio ia berdina erakusten dute.