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Two kinds of differential object marking in Portuguese and Spanish

  • Scott A. Schwenter
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Portuguese-Spanish Interfaces
This chapter is in the book Portuguese-Spanish Interfaces

Abstract

Portuguese is typically not considered a differential object marking (DOM) language, while Spanish, with its accusative a, is one of the most well-known DOM languages. This chapter uses quantitative multivariate analysis to argue that Portuguese – both Brazilian (BP) and European (EP) – displays a clear-cut DOM system. Unlike Spanish, however, the Portuguese DOM system is limited to strictly anaphoric direct object referents. Both BP and EP oppose null objects with overt pronominal marking of anaphoric DOs, even though the pronouns employed differ in each variety. In both Spanish and Portuguese, animacy, definiteness and specificity constrain the encoding of direct object referents in similar ways; most notably, the hierarchical ordering of these constraints is the same across the two languages.

Abstract

Portuguese is typically not considered a differential object marking (DOM) language, while Spanish, with its accusative a, is one of the most well-known DOM languages. This chapter uses quantitative multivariate analysis to argue that Portuguese – both Brazilian (BP) and European (EP) – displays a clear-cut DOM system. Unlike Spanish, however, the Portuguese DOM system is limited to strictly anaphoric direct object referents. Both BP and EP oppose null objects with overt pronominal marking of anaphoric DOs, even though the pronouns employed differ in each variety. In both Spanish and Portuguese, animacy, definiteness and specificity constrain the encoding of direct object referents in similar ways; most notably, the hierarchical ordering of these constraints is the same across the two languages.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Comparative perspectives in diachrony
  5. The position of Ibero-Romance in the Romania and of Portuguese within Ibero-Romance 11
  6. Syntactic change in Portuguese and Spanish 35
  7. Judeo-Spanish in contact with Portuguese 65
  8. Dequeísmo and queísmo in Portuguese and Spanish 95
  9. Part II. Comparative perspectives in synchrony
  10. On the partially divergent phonology of Spanish, Portuguese and points in between 123
  11. The intonational phonology of Peninsular Spanish and European Portuguese 151
  12. Similar and differing patterns of allomorphy in the Spanish and Portuguese verbs 175
  13. On clitic attachment in Ibero-Romance 203
  14. Two kinds of differential object marking in Portuguese and Spanish 237
  15. Part III. Portuguese and Spanish in contact in communities and individuals
  16. Sociolinguistic continuities in language contact situations: 263
  17. Mirandese in contact with Portuguese and Spanish 295
  18. On the structural basis of non-redundant acquisition 317
  19. Cross-linguistic transfer of core aspectual conceptualizations in Portuguese and Spanish 335
  20. Part IV. Portuguese and Spanish in the Iberia and in the Americas
  21. A historical perspective of Afro-Portuguese and Afro-Spanish varieties in the Iberia Peninsula 359
  22. Form selection in contact languages 377
  23. Portuguese remnants in the Afro-Hispanic diaspora 403
  24. Variation and change in Latin American Spanish and Portuguese 443
  25. Index 465
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.1.12sch

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Comparative perspectives in diachrony
  5. The position of Ibero-Romance in the Romania and of Portuguese within Ibero-Romance 11
  6. Syntactic change in Portuguese and Spanish 35
  7. Judeo-Spanish in contact with Portuguese 65
  8. Dequeísmo and queísmo in Portuguese and Spanish 95
  9. Part II. Comparative perspectives in synchrony
  10. On the partially divergent phonology of Spanish, Portuguese and points in between 123
  11. The intonational phonology of Peninsular Spanish and European Portuguese 151
  12. Similar and differing patterns of allomorphy in the Spanish and Portuguese verbs 175
  13. On clitic attachment in Ibero-Romance 203
  14. Two kinds of differential object marking in Portuguese and Spanish 237
  15. Part III. Portuguese and Spanish in contact in communities and individuals
  16. Sociolinguistic continuities in language contact situations: 263
  17. Mirandese in contact with Portuguese and Spanish 295
  18. On the structural basis of non-redundant acquisition 317
  19. Cross-linguistic transfer of core aspectual conceptualizations in Portuguese and Spanish 335
  20. Part IV. Portuguese and Spanish in the Iberia and in the Americas
  21. A historical perspective of Afro-Portuguese and Afro-Spanish varieties in the Iberia Peninsula 359
  22. Form selection in contact languages 377
  23. Portuguese remnants in the Afro-Hispanic diaspora 403
  24. Variation and change in Latin American Spanish and Portuguese 443
  25. Index 465
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