AN ANALYSIS FOR PORTUGUESE VEL-ADJECTIVES IN THE LIGHT OF DISTRIBUTED MORPHOLOGY

ABSTRACT This paper presents an analysis of Portuguese vel-adjectives based on Distributed Morphology (HALLE and MARANTZ 1993). This proposal, developed on Oltra-Massuet’s (2014) paper, argues that the modal (possibility, probability and obligation) and the non-modal (trigger) readings associated to vel-adjectives result from the presence of different functional heads composing their structure (vP, Asp and Mod). Considering of that point of view, this paper claims that /vel/ corresponds to a single Vocabulary item spelling out the adjectival head (ao) in the environment of both ModP morpheme and [cause] feature. This explains the different readings, which Brazilian Portuguese speakers relate to these adjectives. Adjectives licensing a modal interpretation have a ModP morpheme in their structure, whereas the ones with a nonmodal reading do not project it. This study proposes an important structural distinction among vel-adjectives licensing a modal reading, namely, only the ones presenting a possibility-reading project VoiceP, the other ones project only vP, which inserts the event-reading, but does not license the extern-argument projection (see KRATZER 1996; ALEXIADOU 2001). Finally, the present analysis suggests the occurrence of a [cause] feature at adjectival head, which assigns the trigger reading to vel-adjectives with a non-modal reading.

摘要 本文基于分布式形态学（Distributed Morphology，HALLE与MARANTZ 1993），对葡萄牙语vel形容词展开系统性分析。本研究依托Oltra-Massuet（2014）的研究框架提出：与vel形容词相关联的情态（可能性、或然性与义务性）与非情态（触发）语义解读，源于构成其句法结构的不同功能中心语（functional heads）——即vP、体貌（Asp）与情态（Mod）。基于该视角，本文主张/vel/对应单一词汇项（Vocabulary item），可在情态短语ModP语素以及[cause]特征的环境下，实现形容词中心语（ao）的形式输出。该机制可解释巴西葡萄牙语使用者所感知到的vel形容词的各类语义差异：带有情态解读的形容词在其句法结构中包含ModP语素，而带有非情态语义的形容词则不投射该语素。本研究进一步提出，在可产生情态解读的vel形容词之间存在一项重要的结构差异：仅具备可能性语义的vel形容词会投射VoiceP，其余类型仅投射vP——vP可引入事件义，但无法实现域外论元（external argument）的投射（详见KRATZER 1996；ALEXIADOU 2001）。最后，本分析表明形容词中心语处存在[cause]特征，该特征可为带有非情态语义的vel形容词赋予触发义。