Abstract
This chapter discusses some properties of pronominal forms in the two main varieties of Portuguese, European Portuguese (EP) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP), from the perspective of binding theory (BT). Specifically, it focuses on a few basic patterns of 3rd person anaphora bearing on some of BT's central issues, such as the nature of binding domains and of the complementary‐like distribution of pronouns and other forms that compete for bound variable readings. The chapter discusses Portuguese facts that seem to provide interesting evidence for the chains‐and‐reflexivity approach: there is an asymmetry in local binding in both EP and BP, bound pronouns being allowed only in PPs, and not in transitive‐like structures. Finally, concerning the interpretive nature of the binding relation, it is widely accepted that the basic distinction to be made is that between coreference and bound‐variable interpretations.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Handbook of Portuguese Linguistics |
Editors | W. Leo Wetzels, João Costa, Sergio Menuzzi |
Publisher | Wiley-Blackwell |
Pages | 338-355 |
Number of pages | 18 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781118791950 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- ϕ‐features
- Brazilian Portuguese
- European Portuguese
- binding theory
- predicate reflexivity
- chain condition
- bound variable interpretation
- SE forms
- pronominal systems