Functional study of the words 'sempre' and 'ainda': stages of grammaticization

• Grant number: 06/04293-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2007
• End date: December 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Historical Linguistics
• Principal Investigator: Maria Célia Pereira Lima Hernandes
• Grantee: Beatriz Del Grossi Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research takes as principle the grammaticization is a specific change from a category less grammatical to more grammatical, that is, a continuum from an item or lexical construction to a grammatical item/construction or a change from a grammatical item to a stage even more grammatical. Thus, a word of a certain category becomes sufficiently empty of lexical meaning, revigorating the grammar. This change process happens with the words always and still in Brazilian Portuguese. We intend to describe those forms and to identify the aspects which evidence a grammatical change in standard spoken language in São Paulo City. Therefore, based on the grammaticization theory, that involves semantic, sintatic and phonological processes of morphemes and of their constructions, we intended to study the dislocation of the grammatical change of the adverbs always and still. (AU)