Abstract

BUTHERS, Christiane Miranda  and  DUARTE, Fábio Bonfim. Português Brasileiro: uma língua de sujeito nulo ou de sujeito obrigatório?. Diacrítica [online]. 2012, vol.26, n.1, pp.64-88. ISSN 0807-8967.

This paper examines the emergence of the [XP V (DP)] order and its possible connection with the null subject parameter in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese. The objective is to investigate how the EPP is valued in this language. To explain this issue, we decompose the EPP into two uninterpretable features: the [uP] and [uD] feature. Our proposal is that, as a result of the weakness of the agreement paradigm, the feature [uD] is weakened, whereas the feature [uP] is strong in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese. As a side effect of this parametric change, PB may be considered as a partial null subject language, allowing both null subjects and obligatory subjects.

Keywords : agreement; EPP; expletive subject.

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