Complex predicates in African Varieties of Portuguese: transferential and causative readings of light verb dar ‘to give’

• Published in: Journal of portuguese linguistics Vol. 23; no. 1
• Main Authors: Gonçalves, Rita, Brito, Ana Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 29-08-2024
• ISSN: 2397-5563; 2397-5563
• DOI: 10.16995/jpl.10715

In this paper, we discuss syntactic and semantic properties of complex predicates with the light verb dar ‘to give’ in three African Varieties of Portuguese (Angolan, Mozambican, and Santomean Portuguese).We propose a cross-linguistically supported distinction between types of complex predicates. The data shows that not only deverbal nouns, as extensively discussed in the literature, but also denominal, deadjectival, and even non-derived nouns may combine with the light verb dar to form a complex predicate, a possibility that arises from the fact that those nouns can be predicative. We distinguish three subtypes of complex predicates, depending on their semantic interpretation:(i) transferential event; (ii) transferential event-result; and (iii) causative. Building on Arad’s (1998) work, and against Cuervo (2008), we propose that transferential and causative predicates are ditransitive, but differ according to semantic features of the predicate and the thematic role of the Indirect Object. We further show that African Varieties of Portuguese converge with European Portuguese with respect to the syntax of complex predicates, although they exhibit a more flexible availability of combinations with the light verb dar than in European Portuguese.