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| Author(s): |
Rerisson Cavalcante de Araújo
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2012-06-25 |
| Examining board members: |
Jairo Morais Nunes;
Sônia Maria Lazzarini Cyrino;
Marcelo Barra Ferreira;
Mary Aizawa Kato;
Esmeralda Vailati Negrao
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| Advisor: | Jairo Morais Nunes |
| Abstract | |
In this Dissertation, I analyze a set of phenomena related to the expression of negation in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). I deal with four main themes: (i) distribution of negative markers in different syntactic contexts, (ii) forms of encoding emphatic negation and (iii) constituent negations, (iv) and negative scope ambiguity in sentences with verbal adjuncts. These phenomena have two properties in common: (a) differently from what is normally expected in BP, the negative marker não is not placed at the left, but at the right of the negated constituent, in a configuration like [X(P) Neg]; (b) the marker has an anaphoric requirement and is acceptable only in contexts where the negated constituent has been previously introduced in the discourse or in the communicative context. The main hypothesis is that the linear order and the anaphoric requirement are the result of a syntactic property: these markers are generated in the CP and therefore are insensitive to properties encoded in the CPsystem. Throughout the thesis, I show how this sensitivity appear in different phenomena. As for item (i), I show that post-VP não shows a set of restrictions with discursive, illocutionary and syntactic properties of the sentences it occurs. I argue against proposals that analyze post- VP não as a verbal adjunct or the head of the sentential polarity category (PolP). I defend that post-VP não heads a functional category associated with confirmation and rejection of previous propositions and functions as English particles like yes and no rather than as internal markers as not. As for item (ii), I argue that post-VP não is not a form of emphasis or reinforcement of a weakened preverbal marker (in Jespersens 1917 sense). I propose that the negative quantifier nada, in non-argumental positions, is the marker responsible for emphatic negation and exclamative (or metalinguistic) negation in BP. As for item (iii), BP constituent negation behaves like sentential negation in allowing the configuration [X Neg], with the negative marker at the right of non-clausal phrases like DPs, APs, PPs and AdvPs. I show that [X Neg] is available only in contexts where negated XP occurs isolated or in a peripheral position of the sentence and is banned in medial positions. I argue then that [X Neg] in constituents negation also involves the category where post-VP não and non-argumental nada are generated, with the non-clausal constituent appearing in its specifier. As for item (iv), I examine the interpretation of negation over with verbal adjuncts in sentences with pre-verbal markers (which show scope ambiguity) and in sentences with both preverbal and post-VP markers (which show no scope ambiguity). I argue against Huang 1982 and Johnstons 1994 analyses, based on differences in c-command relations, and assume Hornstein & Nunes (2008) proposal on adjunction and labeling. I propose that the presence or absence of label in adjunctions affects scope relations in making verbal adjunct visible or invisible to negative marker. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 08/00073-0 - Derivation of post-XP negative structures in Brazilian Portuguese: sentential negation and smaller constituents negation |
| Grantee: | Rerisson Cavalcante de Araújo |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |