Analyticization in Brazilian Portuguese inflection and derivation

Abstract

This paper discusses the tendency of analyticization in Brazilian Portuguese (BP) using the following datasets with synthetic-analytic alternation: a) verbal forms with simple future meaning; b) verbal forms with pluperfect meaning; c) parasynthetic verbs; d) directional verbs. By integrating these phenomena, we not only confirm the tendency of analyticization in BP, argued for in recent papers about loss of inflection in this language, but show that it affects derivational elements as well. Based on Huang’s (2015) analysis for Mandarin, we show that the analytic counterparts of the alternations examined can all be analyzed as a general preference for short, local movements in BP. As a result, the various syntactic changes BP goes through can also be seen through a typological perspective.