Chapter published in:
Complement Clauses in Portuguese: Syntax and acquisition
Edited by Ana Lúcia Santos and Anabela Gonçalves
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 17] 2018
► pp. 59–100

Inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese and the theory of Control

| University of São Paulo
In this chapter, we describe the distribution of inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese (BP); discuss the possible interpretations of their subjects when null and address the debate between Modesto (2010) and proponents of the movement theory of Control (MTC, particularly Boeckx & Hornstein, 2006; Rodrigues & Hornstein, 2013) as to whether inflected infinitives constitute a serious argument against the MTC. Data were experimentally tested using a grammaticality judgment task, presented here. Results indicate that inflected infinitives are perfectly grammatical in obligatory Control contexts for BP speakers; but its grammaticality is uncertain in non-control contexts, supporting Modesto’s claims.
Keywords: minimalism, inflected infinitives, Brazilian Portuguese, Movement theory of Control, Two-tiered Theory
Published online: 16 August 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.17.03mod
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