Advérbios monossilábicos pós-verbais no PB: sobre a relação entre sintaxe e prosódia

Abstract

This article discusses the analysis proposed by Costa (1998) for thesyntax of monosyllabic adverbs in European Portuguese (EP).Theoretically, the aim is to evaluate the analysis’ underlying assumptionsabout the syntax-prosody interface. Under Costa’s proposal, the order[Verb Complement Adverb] involves scrambling of the Complement tothe left of the Adverb in EP. His main argument is based on an interactionof the phonological properties of monosyllabic adverbs with Cinque(1993)’s theory of the phrasal stress. Crucially, this theory assumes avery strong relation between syntactic constituents and the prosodicrepresentation relevant for stress assignment. We will argue, however,that the distribution of monosyllabic adverbs, at least in BP, is bestexplained by autonomous rules of phonological phrase formation, as inNespor & Vogel (1986)’s framework. Under this view, the relationbetween syntactic and prosodic constituents is indirect, and leads us toconclude that the distribution of monosyllabic adverbs does not supportComplement scrambling in BP.

Keywords

• Syntax-phonology interface
• Phonological phrases
• Nuclear stress
• Monosyllabic adverbs
• Order of adverbs
• Phrase structure of the Portuguese clause.