Relative clauses in Karitiana: an experimental study

• Grant number: 11/15927-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Luciana Raccanello Storto
• Grantee: Karin Camolese Vivanco
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Relative clauses in Karitiana have their head moved to the left periphery of the clause, what can be attested by the presence of a focus morpheme and adverb placement tests, although case-marking in the relativized phrase (the head) indicates that they are circumnominal constructions, i.e., internally-headed (STORTO, 1999, 2003, to appear). These are opposed features according to De Vrie's typology of relative clauses (2002), in which circumnominal constructions are described as having their head in situ. Based on the work of Basilico (1996), who analyses examples of optional head movement in ambiguous contexts, I intend to carry out one controlled experiment in order to verify if the relative clauses in Karitiana can also display their head in situ, as other languages which have circumnominal relatives do. If it's proved that relative heads can appear in their base position too, I will try to establish the differences between relatives with the head moved and in situ in a second experiment, taking into account the ambiguous interpretation of some subordinate clauses in the language. It's important to stress that this research will be conducted making use of a systematic methodology, which will probably offer a more consistent vision of the head positions' possibilities in Karitiana relatives.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

VIVANCO, Karin Camolese. Relative clauses in karitiana: an experimental study. 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) São Paulo.