Perception verbs in Brazilian Portuguese:

Abstract

Perception verbs license clauses introduced by the complementizer ‘que’, non-finite clauses and noun/determiner phrases as their complements. However, the semantic behavior is not the same since clauses introduced by the complementizer ‘que’ have at least two different readings: a direct reading and an indirect reading. This paper’s goal is to present a unified semantic proposal for perception verbs that explains why certain readings are available only for embedded clauses introduced by ‘que’. In order to do so, we have based our analysis on proposals from embedded clauses in Formal Semantics. We propose that the denotation of the complementizer ‘que’ refers to an eventuality, but that it is vague in relation to the time interval this eventuality took place. This vagueness is responsible for allowing two readings: a direct reading, in which the event described by the embedded clause occurs at the same time as the eventuality perceived by the perception verb; and an indirect one, in which the event described by the subordinate clause occurs prior to this eventuality. We elaborate this proposal using some tools from Temporal Semantics. Therefore, the semantics of the complementizer leaves open to the context if the reading is direct, with the eventuality and the event occurring at the same time, or indirect, with the eventuality and the event occurring at different times. The context will restrict this vagueness. Perception verbs with non-finite embedded clauses or noun/determiner phrases as their complements will have a single reading since there is no complementizer. We also defend that all three possibilities have the same semantic type, and this allows for a unified denotation for perception verbs in the three structures.
Keywords: Perception verbs. Embedded clauses. Formal Semantics. Ambiguity. Vagueness.