How Portuguese children interpret subject pronouns in complement clauses
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Carolina Silva
Abstract
This study aimed to verify if Portuguese children show an interpretative asymmetry between null and overt subject pronouns in indicative and subjunctive complement clauses. In the indicative, children overaccepted the dispreferred coreferential reading with overt pronouns (argued to be licensed post-syntactically); children performed more adult-like with null pronouns (considered to be licensed in syntax) when there was only one intrasentential antecedent (the matrix subject). However, when a matrix object antecedent was added between the preferred matrix subject antecedent and the null embedded subject pronoun, they often accepted the dispreferred reading of disjoint reference. In subjunctive clauses, children incorrectly assigned coreferential readings to both pronouns. We assume that subjunctive obviation is partly dependent on lexical-semantic knowledge, taking time to be acquired.
Abstract
This study aimed to verify if Portuguese children show an interpretative asymmetry between null and overt subject pronouns in indicative and subjunctive complement clauses. In the indicative, children overaccepted the dispreferred coreferential reading with overt pronouns (argued to be licensed post-syntactically); children performed more adult-like with null pronouns (considered to be licensed in syntax) when there was only one intrasentential antecedent (the matrix subject). However, when a matrix object antecedent was added between the preferred matrix subject antecedent and the null embedded subject pronoun, they often accepted the dispreferred reading of disjoint reference. In subjunctive clauses, children incorrectly assigned coreferential readings to both pronouns. We assume that subjunctive obviation is partly dependent on lexical-semantic knowledge, taking time to be acquired.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Complement clauses in Portuguese 1
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Syntax papers
- Control of inflected infinitives in European Portuguese 29
- Inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese and the theory of Control 59
- Infinitival complements of causative/perception verbs in a diachronic perspective 101
- Controlled overt pronouns as specificational predicates 129
- (Hyper)-raising in Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish 187
- Subjunctive and subject obviation in Portuguese 213
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Commentary paper
- Comments on complementation in Portuguese 243
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Acquisition papers
- The acquisition of control in European Portuguese 263
- The acquisition of infinitival complements to causative verbs in Mozambican Portuguese 295
- Inflected infinitives in L2 Portuguese 321
- How Portuguese children interpret subject pronouns in complement clauses 361
-
Commentary paper
- Comments on the acquisition of complementation in Portuguese 395
- Index 415
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Complement clauses in Portuguese 1
-
Syntax papers
- Control of inflected infinitives in European Portuguese 29
- Inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese and the theory of Control 59
- Infinitival complements of causative/perception verbs in a diachronic perspective 101
- Controlled overt pronouns as specificational predicates 129
- (Hyper)-raising in Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish 187
- Subjunctive and subject obviation in Portuguese 213
-
Commentary paper
- Comments on complementation in Portuguese 243
-
Acquisition papers
- The acquisition of control in European Portuguese 263
- The acquisition of infinitival complements to causative verbs in Mozambican Portuguese 295
- Inflected infinitives in L2 Portuguese 321
- How Portuguese children interpret subject pronouns in complement clauses 361
-
Commentary paper
- Comments on the acquisition of complementation in Portuguese 395
- Index 415
