Argument structure alternations in Georgian: solving the syncretism of the -i- morpheme

• Grant number: 07/06636-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2007
• End date: November 30, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Scher
• Grantee: João Paulo Lazzarini Cyrino
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to investigate and solucionate the georgian -i- morpheme syncretism, observed in NASH (2002). The morpheme ocurrs within a set of alternations envolving verb argumental properties and, more specifically, syntatic-semantic characteristics of the subject. The unified treatment I pretend to propose about the -i- morpheme will be embased on Distributed Morphology theory, a recent development of the Generative Theory first proposed in HALLE & MARANTZ (1993).The results of this ressearch will contribute with (i) the study of alternances envolving argumental properties, (ii) with a deeper description of Georgian language, representing the intuition of its native speakers and (iii) with the development of Distributed Morphology and its corroboration, whose works have been solucionating several crucial problems relacionated with the Generative Theory.