Concordância sujeito-verbo em adversativas corretivas em Português Europeu: estudo experimental: estudo experimental

Abstract

This study aims to experimentally evaluate agreement relations in corrective adversative coordinate structures. Investigating agreement patterns in coordination provides crucial insights into their basic configuration, the mechanisms underlying the verification of formal features, and the interaction between morphosyntax and semantics. To assess preferred agreement patterns in these constructions, a Forced-Choice Task was designed, comprising 48 stimuli (16 test sentences and 32 distractors), with participation from 32 informants holding higher education degrees (bachelor’s/master’s). The results reveal a preference for a semantic strategy in establishing agreement, both in structures of the type not X but Y and X but not Y. We consider the influence of several factors: (i) in sentences with not X but Y expressions as post-verbal subjects and X but not Y expressions as pre-verbal subjects, there is a preference for the asserted subject, which, in X but not Y structures, also holds a closer c-command relation with the verb; notably, in both cases, this subject is phonologically more distant from the verb; (ii) conversely, in sentences with not X but Y subjects in pre-verbal position and X but not Y subjects post-verbally, preference remains for the asserted subject, which is phonologically closer to the verb in both expressions but is locally c-commanded by the verb only when the subject is X but not Y.