The Minimalist Program launched by N. Chomsky (1995) inspired reductionist accounts of Control ph... more The Minimalist Program launched by N. Chomsky (1995) inspired reductionist accounts of Control phenomena, which tried to eliminate ‘PRO’ from the theory of grammar, treating it as a trace (copy) of movement (Martin 1996; O’Neil 1997; Hornstein 1999 et seq.). Such movement theories of Control are directly challenged by the use of inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), as shown in Modesto (2010). Many supporters of the movement theory, however, have denied the empirical argument, making the claim that inflected infinitives “are not natural in BP” (Rodrigues & Hornstein 2013: 307), not belonging to BP’s “core grammar”. This study, then, presents two experiments in which production of nonfinite inflection is implicitly elicited in a pseudoword oral completion task. Participants from different linguistic geographic varieties (the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo) heard the pseudoverb in its gerundive form and were then prompted to insert the pseudoverb in a sentence fr...
Este estudo examina a representação sintática e as características de processamento de sujeitos n... more Este estudo examina a representação sintática e as características de processamento de sujeitos nulos de orações infinitivas flexionadas em português brasileiro (PB). Após revisão de parte da literatura atual sobre a Teoria do Controle e discussão das peculiaridades da diacronia do PB, o artigo apresenta um experimento envolvendo rastreamento ocular que comprova que a interpretação controlada do sujeito da infinitiva flexionada é não apenas real psicologicamente, mas também a opção preferida numa tarefa em que se compara a leitura controlada à leitura arbitrária. Discute-se, então, as implicações desse experimento com relação à teoria sintática e à Análise do Controle e especula-se sobre o papel de explicações com base no conceito de terceiro fator na arquitetura da linguagem humana.
Alfa : Revista de Linguística (São José do Rio Preto), 2014
O objetivo principal deste trabalho é discutir a possibilidade de investigação da realidade neuro... more O objetivo principal deste trabalho é discutir a possibilidade de investigação da realidade neurofisiológica da sintaxe das línguas naturais. Para que tal estudo seja possível, linguistas e neurocientistas teriam que achar uma base epistemológica comum. Entretanto, a visão prevalente em neurociência, que assume aprendizado associativo por correlação, não se combina bem com a visão internalista da sintaxe, tomada por linguistas gerativos. Em virtude disso, este trabalho discute as bases epistemológicas das teorias linguísticas mais aceitas atualmente, servindo de guia para neurocientistas que queiram investigar o processamento da linguagem pelo cérebro. Por outro lado, o artigo discute pesquisas desenvolvidas pela neurociência da linguagem para que os linguistas possam avaliar os problemas que surgem na intersecção das duas áreas. Conclui-se que qualquer pesquisador deve ter um entendimento claro dessas questões epistemológicas antes de montar qualquer experimento sobre a linguagem; ...
Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é argumentar contra a proposta de Boeckx, Hornstein, and Nunes (n... more Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é argumentar contra a proposta de Boeckx, Hornstein, and Nunes (no prelo) em suporte ao que costumeiramente é chamado de teoria de controle por movimento. Essas análises de movimento envolvem a suposta existência de estruturas de hiperalçamento e de controle finito em português brasileiro, mas a assunção de controle finito requer um maquinário extra e não é embasada pelos dados empíricos. Argumentaremos também que as construções chamadas de hiperalçamento não ...
This chapter argues, mainly based on Brazilian history, that nonfnite ini¬‚ection (NI) cannot be ... more This chapter argues, mainly based on Brazilian history, that nonfnite ini¬‚ection (NI) cannot be a just a product of schooling (and not a feature of Brazilian Portuguese), since it is commonly used by mass media and people who speak Standard BP. BP speakers have native judgments on the distribution of NI, and those judgements are not what one would expect if those speakers were following the grammar taught in Brazilian schools, as shown by the experimental results of Modesto and Maia (2017). It is then concluded that results already obtained by the study of NI are scientifcally interesting. --- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31513/linguistica.2017.v13n2a13508
This paper discusses two trends in the analysis and explanation of constructions containing null ... more This paper discusses two trends in the analysis and explanation of constructions containing null subjects in Brazilian Portuguese that have been competing for the last few years: one involving A-movement of the embedded subject to a position in the matrix clause (Ferreira 2000, 2008, Rodrigues 2004 and Nunes 2008) and another relying on some kind of empty category identification strategy that involves A-bar binding (Modesto 2000a, 2000b, 2004, 2008). Arguments for both types of analyses are evaluated. The paper concludes that there is enough reason to prefer the A-bar binding type of analysis.
This chapter presents data from Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish and Chinese which show that, at lea... more This chapter presents data from Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish and Chinese which show that, at least in these languages, phonologically null subjects may be licensed and identified without the participation of verbal agreement. The analysis proposed treats those cases of null subjects as elided topics (PF-deleted elements) and so it relates the presence of null subjects in these languages to a parameter involving topic prominence. Some implications of the analysis are then discussed, based on Brazilian Portuguese data.
In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null sub... more In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). After reviewing some literature on generative-syntax Control and discussing the peculiarities of BP diachrony, we present an eye-tracking experiment which proves that a control interpretation of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses is not only psychologically real in BP, but it is actually the preferred option in a task in which a strict comparison with arbitrary PRO is entertained. We then discuss the implications of the experiment to syntactic theory and the analysis of Control and speculate on the role of third factor explanations in the architecture of human language.
In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null sub... more In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). After reviewing some literature on generative-syntax Control and discussing the peculiarities of BP diachrony, we present an eye-tracking experiment which proves that a control interpretation of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses is not only psychologically real in BP, but it is actually the preferred option in a task in which a strict comparison with arbitrary PRO is entertained. We then discuss the implications of the experiment to syntactic theory and the analysis of Control and speculate on the role of third factor explanations in the architecture of human language. Resumo: Neste estudo, examinamos a representação sintática e as características de processamento de sujeitos nulos de orações infinitivas flexionadas em português brasileiro (PB). Após revisar parte da literatura atual sobre a Teoria do Controle e discutir as peculiaridades da diacronia do PB, apresentamos um experimento envolvendo rastreamento ocular que comprova que a interpretação controlada do sujeito da infinitiva flexionada é não apenas real psicologicamente, mas também a opção preferida numa tarefa em que se compara a leitura controlada à leitura arbitrária. Nós então discutimos as implicações desse experimento com relação à teoria sintática e à análise do Controle e especulamos sobre o papel de explicações com base no conceito de terceiro fator na arquitetura da linguagem humana. Palavras-chave: Sintaxe gerativa; processamento de frases; controle não finito; infinitivos flexionados; português brasileiro; rastreamento ocular.
In this chapter, we describe the distribution of inflected infinitives in BP, and discuss the pos... more In this chapter, we describe the distribution of inflected infinitives in BP, and discuss the possible interpretations of their subjects when null. In so doing, we address the debate between Modesto 2010 and proponents of the movement theory of Control (MTC, particularly Boeckx and Hornstein 2006 and Rodrigues and Hornstein 2013) as to whether inflected infinitives constitute a serious argument against the MTC; and whether gender agreement with epicene nouns in finite embedded clauses in Brazilian Portuguese and Italian constitutes a valid argument in favor of the MTC. The facts supporting the later argument are in fact inconclusive, as argued by Modesto. The facts involving the former argument were tested using a grammaticality judgment task, presented here. The experiment indicates that inflected infinitives are perfectly grammatical in obligatory Control contexts; but its grammaticality is uncertain in non-control ones, supporting Modesto’s claims. The chapter concludes that, after discounting the interference of written language, the behavior of inflected infinitives in BP is explained by recent linguistic theory that assumes PRO to be a minimal pronoun (Kratzer 2009, Landau 2015).
The Minimalist Program launched by N. Chomsky (1995) inspired reductionist accounts of Control ph... more The Minimalist Program launched by N. Chomsky (1995) inspired reductionist accounts of Control phenomena, which tried to eliminate ‘PRO’ from the theory of grammar, treating it as a trace (copy) of movement (Martin 1996; O’Neil 1997; Hornstein 1999 et seq.). Such movement theories of Control are directly challenged by the use of inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), as shown in Modesto (2010). Many supporters of the movement theory, however, have denied the empirical argument, making the claim that inflected infinitives “are not natural in BP” (Rodrigues & Hornstein 2013: 307), not belonging to BP’s “core grammar”. This study, then, presents two experiments in which production of nonfinite inflection is implicitly elicited in a pseudoword oral completion task. Participants from different linguistic geographic varieties (the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo) heard the pseudoverb in its gerundive form and were then prompted to insert the pseudoverb in a sentence fr...
Este estudo examina a representação sintática e as características de processamento de sujeitos n... more Este estudo examina a representação sintática e as características de processamento de sujeitos nulos de orações infinitivas flexionadas em português brasileiro (PB). Após revisão de parte da literatura atual sobre a Teoria do Controle e discussão das peculiaridades da diacronia do PB, o artigo apresenta um experimento envolvendo rastreamento ocular que comprova que a interpretação controlada do sujeito da infinitiva flexionada é não apenas real psicologicamente, mas também a opção preferida numa tarefa em que se compara a leitura controlada à leitura arbitrária. Discute-se, então, as implicações desse experimento com relação à teoria sintática e à Análise do Controle e especula-se sobre o papel de explicações com base no conceito de terceiro fator na arquitetura da linguagem humana.
Alfa : Revista de Linguística (São José do Rio Preto), 2014
O objetivo principal deste trabalho é discutir a possibilidade de investigação da realidade neuro... more O objetivo principal deste trabalho é discutir a possibilidade de investigação da realidade neurofisiológica da sintaxe das línguas naturais. Para que tal estudo seja possível, linguistas e neurocientistas teriam que achar uma base epistemológica comum. Entretanto, a visão prevalente em neurociência, que assume aprendizado associativo por correlação, não se combina bem com a visão internalista da sintaxe, tomada por linguistas gerativos. Em virtude disso, este trabalho discute as bases epistemológicas das teorias linguísticas mais aceitas atualmente, servindo de guia para neurocientistas que queiram investigar o processamento da linguagem pelo cérebro. Por outro lado, o artigo discute pesquisas desenvolvidas pela neurociência da linguagem para que os linguistas possam avaliar os problemas que surgem na intersecção das duas áreas. Conclui-se que qualquer pesquisador deve ter um entendimento claro dessas questões epistemológicas antes de montar qualquer experimento sobre a linguagem; ...
Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é argumentar contra a proposta de Boeckx, Hornstein, and Nunes (n... more Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é argumentar contra a proposta de Boeckx, Hornstein, and Nunes (no prelo) em suporte ao que costumeiramente é chamado de teoria de controle por movimento. Essas análises de movimento envolvem a suposta existência de estruturas de hiperalçamento e de controle finito em português brasileiro, mas a assunção de controle finito requer um maquinário extra e não é embasada pelos dados empíricos. Argumentaremos também que as construções chamadas de hiperalçamento não ...
This chapter argues, mainly based on Brazilian history, that nonfnite ini¬‚ection (NI) cannot be ... more This chapter argues, mainly based on Brazilian history, that nonfnite ini¬‚ection (NI) cannot be a just a product of schooling (and not a feature of Brazilian Portuguese), since it is commonly used by mass media and people who speak Standard BP. BP speakers have native judgments on the distribution of NI, and those judgements are not what one would expect if those speakers were following the grammar taught in Brazilian schools, as shown by the experimental results of Modesto and Maia (2017). It is then concluded that results already obtained by the study of NI are scientifcally interesting. --- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31513/linguistica.2017.v13n2a13508
This paper discusses two trends in the analysis and explanation of constructions containing null ... more This paper discusses two trends in the analysis and explanation of constructions containing null subjects in Brazilian Portuguese that have been competing for the last few years: one involving A-movement of the embedded subject to a position in the matrix clause (Ferreira 2000, 2008, Rodrigues 2004 and Nunes 2008) and another relying on some kind of empty category identification strategy that involves A-bar binding (Modesto 2000a, 2000b, 2004, 2008). Arguments for both types of analyses are evaluated. The paper concludes that there is enough reason to prefer the A-bar binding type of analysis.
This chapter presents data from Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish and Chinese which show that, at lea... more This chapter presents data from Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish and Chinese which show that, at least in these languages, phonologically null subjects may be licensed and identified without the participation of verbal agreement. The analysis proposed treats those cases of null subjects as elided topics (PF-deleted elements) and so it relates the presence of null subjects in these languages to a parameter involving topic prominence. Some implications of the analysis are then discussed, based on Brazilian Portuguese data.
In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null sub... more In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). After reviewing some literature on generative-syntax Control and discussing the peculiarities of BP diachrony, we present an eye-tracking experiment which proves that a control interpretation of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses is not only psychologically real in BP, but it is actually the preferred option in a task in which a strict comparison with arbitrary PRO is entertained. We then discuss the implications of the experiment to syntactic theory and the analysis of Control and speculate on the role of third factor explanations in the architecture of human language.
In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null sub... more In this paper, we examine the syntactic representation and processing characteristics of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). After reviewing some literature on generative-syntax Control and discussing the peculiarities of BP diachrony, we present an eye-tracking experiment which proves that a control interpretation of null subjects of inflected nonfinite clauses is not only psychologically real in BP, but it is actually the preferred option in a task in which a strict comparison with arbitrary PRO is entertained. We then discuss the implications of the experiment to syntactic theory and the analysis of Control and speculate on the role of third factor explanations in the architecture of human language. Resumo: Neste estudo, examinamos a representação sintática e as características de processamento de sujeitos nulos de orações infinitivas flexionadas em português brasileiro (PB). Após revisar parte da literatura atual sobre a Teoria do Controle e discutir as peculiaridades da diacronia do PB, apresentamos um experimento envolvendo rastreamento ocular que comprova que a interpretação controlada do sujeito da infinitiva flexionada é não apenas real psicologicamente, mas também a opção preferida numa tarefa em que se compara a leitura controlada à leitura arbitrária. Nós então discutimos as implicações desse experimento com relação à teoria sintática e à análise do Controle e especulamos sobre o papel de explicações com base no conceito de terceiro fator na arquitetura da linguagem humana. Palavras-chave: Sintaxe gerativa; processamento de frases; controle não finito; infinitivos flexionados; português brasileiro; rastreamento ocular.
In this chapter, we describe the distribution of inflected infinitives in BP, and discuss the pos... more In this chapter, we describe the distribution of inflected infinitives in BP, and discuss the possible interpretations of their subjects when null. In so doing, we address the debate between Modesto 2010 and proponents of the movement theory of Control (MTC, particularly Boeckx and Hornstein 2006 and Rodrigues and Hornstein 2013) as to whether inflected infinitives constitute a serious argument against the MTC; and whether gender agreement with epicene nouns in finite embedded clauses in Brazilian Portuguese and Italian constitutes a valid argument in favor of the MTC. The facts supporting the later argument are in fact inconclusive, as argued by Modesto. The facts involving the former argument were tested using a grammaticality judgment task, presented here. The experiment indicates that inflected infinitives are perfectly grammatical in obligatory Control contexts; but its grammaticality is uncertain in non-control ones, supporting Modesto’s claims. The chapter concludes that, after discounting the interference of written language, the behavior of inflected infinitives in BP is explained by recent linguistic theory that assumes PRO to be a minimal pronoun (Kratzer 2009, Landau 2015).
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