Mary Aizawa Kato and Negrão Esmeralda Vailati (eds.), Brazilian Portuguese and the Null Subject Parameter

Probus ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Barbosa ◽  
Maria Aparecida Torres Morais
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
Null Subject Parameter

scholarly journals O parâmetro do sujeito nulo na Aquisição do Português L2 (Null subject parameter in L2 Portuguese Acquisition)

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Gildete Rocha Xavier
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Generative Grammar ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Null Subject Parameter ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar como se dá a aquisição do sujeito nulo do Português Brasileiro L2 por falantes nativos de Inglês e Italiano em situação de imersão. A pesquisa desenvolve-se no âmbito da gramática gerativa, (CHOMSKY, 1981, 1986, 1993, 1995, 2000). As questões da pesquisa estão relacionadas à questão do acesso à Gramática Universal.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Gramática gerativa. Princípios e parâmetros. Aquisição de segunda língua. Sujeito nulo. ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate the acquisition of the null subject in Brazilian Portuguese as a second language by native speakers of English and Italian. The research was developed within the framework of Generative Grammar (CHOMSKY, 1981, 1986, 1993, 1995, 2000). This research attempted to investigate whether the L2 learners have access to the Universal Grammar.KEYWORDS: Generative grammar. Principles and parameters. Second language acquisition. Null subject.

scholarly journals Pre-verbal position in BP: a reinterpretation of the "avoid pronoun principle"

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 610-626
Author(s):  
Mary Aizawa Kato ◽  
Eugênia Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Logical Form ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
The Other ◽  
Null Subjects ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
Initial Element ◽  
Null Subject Parameter ◽  
Present Distribution

The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes occurring in Brazilian Portuguese, regarding the possibility of null subjects, and suggest the kinds of constraints that explain its present distribution. In this paper, we will propose that the null subject parameter is defi ned at the interfaces. At the level of Logical Form, a constraint like Chomsky’s (1981) Avoid Pronoun will be atwork for languages that are prototypical null subject languages, like Spanish and Chinese. For languages like BP, a system with a particular distribution of null subjects, the constraint will be more specifi c: Avoid non-referential pronouns. We will also propose that at the other interface, the Phonetic Form, languages have fi lters regarding their rhythm. To account for the preference for certain forms, a constraint of the form: Avoid V1 will be proposed. This constraint hasnothing to do with an XP constituent in Spec of C, like in V2 languages, but with a phonetic requirement. This means that the initial element can be a head or an XP. 

Brazilian Portuguese and the Null Subject Parameter (review)

Language ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 807-808
Author(s):  
Kleanthes K. Grohmann
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
Null Subject Parameter

scholarly journals Brazilian Portuguese

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. e021021
Author(s):  
Maria Eugenia Lamoglia Duarte ◽  
Juliana Esposito Marins
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Null Subjects ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
Overt Pronouns ◽  
European Portuguese ◽  
Progressive Loss ◽  
Null Subject Parameter ◽  
Parametric Change ◽  
Apparent Variation

The aim of this article is twofold. In the first place, we present evidence that the syntactic change towards overt pronominal subjects observed in Brazilian Portuguese is not a stable phenomenon; rather, our empirical results allow to follow the parametric change in course and to identify the progressive loss of crucial properties related to ‘consistent’ null subject languages. The contrastive analysis with European Portuguese shows the stronger and the weaker structural contexts in this continuous battle towards the implementation of overt pronouns. Personal sentences (with definite and ‘indefinite’ – arbitrary and generic – subjects, usually referred as “impersonal”) are analyzed in more detail than those we consider impersonal sentences, which include a variety of structures, with climate, existential and unaccusative verbs, . They are, however, shown to have been deeply affected by the re-setting of the value of the Null Subject Parameter. Then, we will briefly compare Brazilian Portuguese with Finnish null subjects to conclude that Brazilian Portuguese does not seem to fit the group of the so called ‘partial’ null subject languages, which seem to exhibit null subjects in very restricted contexts, have a lexical expletive in apparent variation with null and generic subjects as well as in impersonal sentences, when it seems to be merged to avoid a verb-initial sentence. 

scholarly journals On some null subject parameter-related properties in the L3 acquisition of brazilian portuguese (Sobre algumas propriedades relacionadas ao parâmetro do sujeito nulo na aquisição do português brasileiro como L3 )

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina Montrul ◽  
Rejane Dias ◽  
Hélade Santos
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Null Subject Parameter ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
L1 English

As language undergoing language change, Brazilian Portuguese presents characteristics of both pro-drop and non-pro drop systems. This study investigates the acquisition of two properties assumed to be related to the null subject parameter—clitic-climbing and the that-t effect—by adult learners of Brazilian Portuguese who speak a pro-drop language (Spanish) (n = 11) and a non pro-drop language (English) (n =19) as either L1 or L2. Results of an acceptability judgment task showed that the non-native speakers overall converged on the grammars of the Brazilian Portuguese control group (n =19), but there were transfer effects from Spanish for the L1-Spanish speaking learners and from both Spanish and English in the L1-English speaking learners. We discuss the implications of these findings for the role of transfer in L3 acquisition.KEYWORDS: Null subject parameter. L3 acquisition. Brazilian Portuguese. RESUMO O português brasileiro, por estar em processo de mudanças, apresenta características tanto de sistemas pro-drop quanto de sistemas não pro-drop. Este estudo investiga a aquisição de duas propriedades que se assume que estão relacionadas ao parâmetro do sujeito nulo – a subida de clítico e o efeito that-t– por adultos aprendizes do português brasileiro, falantes de uma língua pro-drop (espanhol) (n = 11) e de uma língua não pro-drop (inglês) (n = 19), seja como L1 ou como L2. Os resultados de um teste de julgamento de aceitabilidade mostraram que, em geral, os falantes não nativos tenderam à/se aproximaram da gramática do grupo de controle formado por falantes de português brasileiro (n = 19). Porém, observaram-se efeitos de transferência do espanhol para os aprendizes falantes nativos de espanhol e transferências de ambas as línguas, espanhol e inglês, para os aprendizes falantes nativos de inglês. Discutimos as implicações destes resultados para o papel da transferência na aquisição de L3.PALAVRAS-CHAVES: Parâmetro do sujeito nulo. Aquisição de L3. Português brasileiro.

scholarly journals The subject, it is here! The varying structural positions of preverbal subjects

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (spe) ◽  
pp. 113-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Acrisio Pires
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Variable Binding ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Bare Nouns ◽  
Semantic Properties ◽  
Structural Positions

This paper analyzes preverbal overt subjects, comparing Brazilian Portuguese to (other) null-subject languages, especially within Romance. It explores syntactic and semantic properties, including resumption, ellipsis, quantifiers and scope, variable binding, ordering restrictions, pronominal distinctions, minimality violations, bare nouns and definiteness. It concludes that preverbal subjects in Brazilian Portuguese can be realized both in argumental positions (Specifier of the Inflectional or Tense Phrase) and non-argumental positions (Topic Phrase specifiers), with the possibility that both types of positions are filled by the subject in the same clause, incorporating properties that have been argued not to be found together in other languages.

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