Diachronic study of ordering of causal constructions with porque and por+infinitive based on functional principles’ perspective

Abstract

The causal constructions connected by porque and por+infinitive share many similarities. Among them, there is the flexibility of position of the causal clause, which can come before, after or between the effect clause. In this article, we investigate the relation between these different possibilities of organization and general functional principles - iconicity and distribution of information – in Classic and Modern periods of Portuguese language. The main goal is to discuss possible changes in the syntagmatic organization of these constructions, motivated by the representation of causal relation that presupposes that causes precede effects and by the discursive principle that given information precedes new information. In this regard, we analyze a corpus of non literary texts written between 17th and 20/21st centuries. Through a quantitative analysis, we show that, contrary to expectations, causal clauses with porque and por+infinitive come predominantly after the effect clause in this time interval (17th – 21st), regardless of information status and sequentiality, which indicates the establishment of a default order.