The XclV constructions in the written Brazilian Portuguese of 19th century: the patterns generated by Portuguese grammars?

Authors

  • Marco Antonio Martins

Keywords:

proclisis, XV constructions, grammar, Classical Portuguese.

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a description of the alternation between enclisis and proclisis in independent finite clauses where the verb is preceded by a non-focused subject,
a non-modal adverb or a prepositional phrase – XV constructions – in the written production (twenty-four plays) of Brazilian playwrights born between the 19th and the 20th century in the coastal area of Santa Catarina. The results show that in the written production of authors born in the first half of the 19th the proportion of proclisis in XV contexts where X é a non-modal adverb or a prepositional phrase is higher than in contexts where X is a DP subject. In empirical terms, the proclitic forms found in the texts of these authors are associated with a grammar in which preverbal position is available for components of VP and not specifically to subjects. In
other words, the XclV constructions in written Brazilian Portuguese of the 19th century seem to reflect properties of Classical Portuguese grammar.

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Published

2016-04-04

How to Cite

Martins, M. A. (2016). The XclV constructions in the written Brazilian Portuguese of 19th century: the patterns generated by Portuguese grammars?. Estudos Linguísticos (São Paulo. 1978), 40(2), 823–837. Retrieved from https://revistas.gel.org.br/estudos-linguisticos/article/view/1342

Issue

Section

Linguística Histórica