Middle voice in Brazilian Portuguese from the theoretical perspective of Cognitive Grammar
-
Jussara Abraçado
Abstract
The structure of the predicate is traditionally called diathesis or voice which, depending on the type of verb, may be realized as active, passive or reflexive, voice patterns generally attributed to Portuguese. However, there is no consensus among scholars as to the characterization of voice patterns in Portuguese. Many specialists acknowledge the existence of these three voices. A middle voice, on the other hand, tends to be overlooked. In a broader sense, within the realm of linguistic studies, the particularities of voice patterns are also discussed, as highlighted by Kemmer (1993), Paine (2006) and Maldonado (2007). Theoretically stemming from Cognitive Grammar, the present research argues that the middle voice is present in Brazilian Portuguese in all situation types in which the middle voice appears in other languages. In other words, the middle voice is not a marginal phenomenon. At a second stage the study (i) discusses and presents evidence to support the claim that among the characteristic properties of middle voice is the perspective of events from their core. The analysis uses data extracted from online informative texts. Based on the discussion in (i), the study (ii) demonstrates that in middle voice constructions the subject is a starting point, and not exactly an initiator, and that its role as controller/initiator tends to be downgraded, even though there is a subject with agentive characteristics.
Abstract
The structure of the predicate is traditionally called diathesis or voice which, depending on the type of verb, may be realized as active, passive or reflexive, voice patterns generally attributed to Portuguese. However, there is no consensus among scholars as to the characterization of voice patterns in Portuguese. Many specialists acknowledge the existence of these three voices. A middle voice, on the other hand, tends to be overlooked. In a broader sense, within the realm of linguistic studies, the particularities of voice patterns are also discussed, as highlighted by Kemmer (1993), Paine (2006) and Maldonado (2007). Theoretically stemming from Cognitive Grammar, the present research argues that the middle voice is present in Brazilian Portuguese in all situation types in which the middle voice appears in other languages. In other words, the middle voice is not a marginal phenomenon. At a second stage the study (i) discusses and presents evidence to support the claim that among the characteristic properties of middle voice is the perspective of events from their core. The analysis uses data extracted from online informative texts. Based on the discussion in (i), the study (ii) demonstrates that in middle voice constructions the subject is a starting point, and not exactly an initiator, and that its role as controller/initiator tends to be downgraded, even though there is a subject with agentive characteristics.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents VII
- Presentation 1
- Grammar in the mind and in the society: Evidence from European and Brazilian pluricentric Portuguese 7
- Lexicon pluricentrality and pluricircularity in Portuguese language varieties 35
- Middle voice in Brazilian Portuguese from the theoretical perspective of Cognitive Grammar 65
- A functional/cognitive approach to hápax and quasi-hápax in Brazilian Portuguese suffixation 93
- Non-concatenative verbal inflection in Brazilian Portuguese: A construction grammar approach 115
- Non-prototypic contrastive constructions in varieties of Portuguese 157
- Intercalated temporal clauses in formal written Brazilian Portuguese 175
- Grammatical variants of the ditransitive construction in Brazilian Portuguese 201
- Discourse marker with the verb saber (‘to know’) closing discourse topic: Analyzing oral narratives in brazilian Portuguese 223
- Analysis of conversation and its many knots 251
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents VII
- Presentation 1
- Grammar in the mind and in the society: Evidence from European and Brazilian pluricentric Portuguese 7
- Lexicon pluricentrality and pluricircularity in Portuguese language varieties 35
- Middle voice in Brazilian Portuguese from the theoretical perspective of Cognitive Grammar 65
- A functional/cognitive approach to hápax and quasi-hápax in Brazilian Portuguese suffixation 93
- Non-concatenative verbal inflection in Brazilian Portuguese: A construction grammar approach 115
- Non-prototypic contrastive constructions in varieties of Portuguese 157
- Intercalated temporal clauses in formal written Brazilian Portuguese 175
- Grammatical variants of the ditransitive construction in Brazilian Portuguese 201
- Discourse marker with the verb saber (‘to know’) closing discourse topic: Analyzing oral narratives in brazilian Portuguese 223
- Analysis of conversation and its many knots 251
