When 'stay' and 'become' are the same verb : the case of 'ficar'

  • In this paper I investigate the properties of the copula-like verb 'ficar' in Brazilian Portuguese using Pustejovsky's generative lexicon (GL). The verb 'ficar' can be translated as 'stay' or 'become', depending on its complement. With locatives, only the STAY reading is possible. With adjectival complements, both BECOME and STAY readings are possible. I propose that 'ficar' takes an eventuality as its complement and I argue that there is no need to create multiple lexical entries for it, since the readings are the result of the possible combinations between the transition denoted by 'ficar' and the properties of the stative complements. I argue that the BECOME reading with adjectival predicates is the result of combining part of the qualia of the adjectival predicate with the TRANSITION of 'ficar'. The STAY readings of 'ficar'+adjective are the result of shadowing the transition. In the case of 'ficar'+locative, the BECOME reading is unavailable. Departing from the hypothesis that subevents have to be linked to arguments in order to be able to be modified by certain types of modifiers or be selected by certain types of heads, I argue that the transition, in the case of locative complements, is not associated to any argument because nothing in the qualia of the locative complement is compatible with a transition, given that there is not motion component in either 'ficar' or the locative. Unlinked to any argument, the TRANSITION can only be part of the 'constant' meaning of the verb, which explains why it is not available for modification.

Download full text files

Export metadata

Additional Services

Share in Twitter Search Google Scholar
Metadaten
Author:Cristina Schmitt
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-307083
URL:http://www.zas.gwz-berlin.de/212.html?&L=1%27%2Band%2Bchar%28124%29%252Buser%252Bchar%28124%29%253D0%2Band%2B%27%27%253D
ISSN:1435-9588
ISSN:0947-7055
Parent Title (German):Kopula-Prädikativ-Konstruktionen als Syntax/Semantik-Schnittstellen, Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin, 1999; ZASPil Vol. 14
Publisher:Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung
Place of publication:Berlin
Document Type:Part of a Book
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2013/09/27
Year of first Publication:1999
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2013/09/27
GND Keyword:werden <Wort>; bleiben; Semantik; ficar; Portugiesisch
Volume:14
Page Number:29
First Page:227
Last Page:255
HeBIS-PPN:353123161
Dewey Decimal Classification:4 Sprache / 41 Linguistik / 410 Linguistik
Sammlungen:Linguistik
Linguistik-Klassifikation:Linguistik-Klassifikation: Semantik / Semantics
Linguistik-Klassifikation: Kontrastive Linguistik / Contrastive linguistics
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte:ZAS papers in linguistics : ZASPiL / ZASPiL 14 = Kopula-Prädikativ-Konstruktionen als Syntax/Semantik-Schnittstellen
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-306547
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht