15.2945, Books: Semantics/Syntax/Portuguese: Costa

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LINGUIST List: Vol-15-2945. Mon Oct 18 2004. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 15.2945, Books: Semantics/Syntax/Portuguese: Costa                                                                                                                                                                      

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1)
Date: 11-Oct-2004
From: Julia Ulrich < julia.ulrich at degruyter.com >
Subject: Subject Positions and Interfaces: The Case of European
Portuguese: Costa 
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 10:07:44
From: Julia Ulrich < julia.ulrich at degruyter.com >
Subject: Subject Positions and Interfaces: The Case of European
Portuguese: Costa 
 
Title: Subject Positions and Interfaces: The Case of European Portuguese 
Series Title: Studies in Generative Grammar 73  

Publication Year: 2004 
Publisher: Mouton de Gruyter
	   http://www.mouton-publishers.com
	

Book URL: http://www.degruyter.de/rs/bookSingle.cfm?id=IS-3110181126-1&l=E 


Author: João Costa, University of Lisbon, Portugal  

Hardback: ISBN: 3110181126 Pages: viii, 212 Price: Europe EURO 98.00


Abstract:

European Portuguese, like other Romance languages, displays a great amount
of word order variation. Out of the six logically possible permutations
between Subject, Verb and Complement in a transitive sentence, five are
possible: SVO, VSO, VOS, OVS and OSV.

The primary goal of this book is to provide an analysis of the several
positions where the subject may surface in European Portuguese. Departing
from an architecture of the clause as sketched in early minimalist work,
containing two subject-related functional categories above VP (AgrP and
TP), it is shown that the subject may surface in all potential landing
sites: Spec,AgrP, Spec,TP and Spec,VP. Moreover, just like any other
argument of the clause, it is claimed that subjects also have the
possibility of surfacing in a left-dislocated position, arguably adjoining
to the clause's left periphery.

It is shown that there is no free variation. Each of these positions may be
occupied by the subject, only if two requirements are met: i) the position
is made available by syntax; ii) the position does not violate any
interface condition.

In other words, the following model is argued for: syntax generates
legitimate outputs. At the interface levels, each output may be selected or
filtred out, according to requirements of the interface.

The picture emerging from the proposal made in this book is the following:
syntax proper does not need to refer to conditions best placed at the
interface. All that is needed from syntax is that it generates an array of
well-formed outputs. Such outputs may be evaluated a posteriori by each of
the interfaces. If they meet requirements of the interface, they are
selected as legitimate. If, on the contrary, some interface condition is
violated, they are ruled out. Under this approach, three independent
results are derived: i) an explanation is found for the patterns of word
order variation; ii) syntax proper may be reduced to its own tools, not
having to manipulate semantic, discourse or prosodic variables; iii) the
intuition that European Portuguese is an SVO language is derived: this word
order corresponds to the one in which the subject occupies the only
specifier position in which the other interfaces play no role.

João Costa is Assistent Professor of Linguistics at the University of
Lisbon, Portugal.

TO ORDER, PLEASE CONTACT

SFG Servicecenter-Fachverlage
Postfach 4343
72774 Reutlingen, Germany
Fax: +49 (0)7071 - 93 53 - 33
E-mail: deGruyter at s-f-g.com 


For USA, Canada, Mexico: 

Walter de Gruyter, Inc.
PO Box 960
Herndon, VA 20172-0960
Tel.: +1 (703) 661 1589
Tel. Toll-free  +1 (800) 208 8144
Fax: +1 (703) 661 1501
e-mail: degruytermail at presswarehouse.com 



Linguistic Field(s): Semantics
                     Syntax

Subject Language(s): Portuguese (Language Code: POR)


Written In: English  (Language Code: ENG)
	
See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=11852


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