Portuguese is the second most spoken Romance language in the world, and due to recent interest in comparative syntax, the literature on its syntax has increased exponentially, resulting in exciting discoveries of a range of aspects that have hitherto been overlooked. This book provides a theoretically grounded overview of the major syntactic properties of Portuguese, focusing on the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese. It shows from a theoretical point of view how different syntactic properties are interconnected by comparing and contrasting the variances between pronominal and agreement systems, null subjects, null complements, and word order. It also highlights how small differences in the specification of syntactic properties may yield quite different dialects. It introduces key theoretical points without technical jargon, making the content accessible to specialist and non-specialists alike. It is essential reading for both academic researchers and students of Portuguese language, comparative syntax, Romance linguistics, and theoretical syntax.
Read more
1. Introduction; 2. The pronominal system; 3. Agreement; 4. Null subjects; 5. Word order; 6. Null objects and null possessors; 7. Affirmation, negation, and yes/no questions and answers; 8. Conclusion.
Read more
A comprehensive look at the major syntactic properties of Portuguese, focusing on differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese.

Product details

ISBN
9780521860611
Published
2023-04-06
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Weight
880 gr
Height
236 mm
Width
157 mm
Thickness
33 mm
Age
U, 05
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Number of pages
522

Biographical note

Mary A. Kato is Professor at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Recent publications include The Morphosyntax of Portuguese and Spanish in Latin America (co-edited with Ordóñez, 2016), and Português Brasileiro: Uma Segunda Viagem Diacrônica (co-edited with Galves and Roberts, 2019). Ana Maria Martins is Professor at the University of Lisbon. Recent publications include Word Order Change (co-edited with Cardoso, 2018) and Manual de Linguística Portuguesa (co-edited with Carillho, 2016). Jairo Nunes is Professor at the Universidade de São Paulo. Recent publications include Minimalist Essays on Brazilian Portuguese Syntax (editor, 2009), and Control as Movement (with Boeckx and Hornstein, 2010).