The syntax-morphology interface: a structure for infinitive nominalizations in Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

This work investigates the nominalization of infinitive forms in Brazilian Portuguese. We assume, based on the Distributed Morphology framework (HALLE and MARANTZ 1993; MARANTZ, 1997), that the properties of the nominal infinitive may be explained through the combination of different functional heads in its syntactic structure. The main question we address in this work is to specify each of these heads and the hierarchical sequence in which they are organized. In order to do so, we describe the empirical properties of the nominal infinitives of PB and propose that they function as Complex Event Nominals, in the typology of Grimshaw (1990). Based on this behavior, we argue in favor of the existence of three heads of a verbal nature in the constitution of the nominal infinitive: (i) the categorizer v, responsible for the verbal category of the base, for the event reading and for the introduction of the internal argument; (ii) the Voice head (KRATZER, 1996), responsible for introducing the external argument and (iii) an aspectual head, which brings the imperfective reading and hosts the infinitive morphology. This functional sequence is below nominal heads: the categorizer n and D, responsible for the nominal properties of the formation. This syntactic structure can account for the empirical properties of the nominal infinitive, besides revealing a strong interaction between morphology and syntax, since the arguments present in the structure are inserted even before the nominal form is effectively formed in the syntax. Finally, we argue that these nominal infinitives constitute important evidence (against GRIMSHAW, 1990; ALEXIADOU, 2001) that zero nominalizations may have obligatory argument structure.