Os verbos "parar" e "deixar" com complementos de natureza verbal e de natureza nominal

Abstract

This study is included in the syntax and semantic interface, using the Chomskyan assumptions of generative theory, in the Principles and Parameters model (P&P). In this work, sentences with verbs parar e deixar(in a free translation to stop and to leave) were analyzed with infinitive prepositioned complements (InfP) and nominal complements in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). In this research, we aimed to infer the notions that these verbs express, linking them to the category of their complement, checking if the verbs to stop and to leave contribute differently to the meaning of a sentence, or if both of them always express a sense of interruptive aspect in different syntactic contexts. For this analysis, it was adopted the division of classes of lexical aspect systematized by Vendler (1967): state, activity, accomplishment and achievement and the refinements made by Bertinetto (1986) and Basso and Ilari (2004), regarding the division of the class of the stative verbs, and by Smith (1997), that includes the class of semelfactive verbs in the aspectual verbs class. Our main assumptions were: (i) to stop and to leave express an interruptive aspect when appearing with prepositioned infinitive complements [InfP]; (ii) to stop indicates an interruptive aspect in all of its uses, even when the DP is in the position of its complement; (iii) the restriction of the aspectual verbs to stop and to leave regarding the native DPs complements (not derived from verbs) is related to the feature [+process], as required by all aspectual verbs (ROCHETTE, 1999); (iv) to leave , when forming sequence with predicates that present the feature [+telic], presents ambiguity and can express interruption of a single event, or non-realization of the event; (v) to stop and to leave offer restrictions to typically stative predicates (BERTINETTO, 1991; BASSO; ILARI, 2004). Our analysis showed that the verb to stop does not indicate interruption of the event in all of its uses, regarding to the InfP complement. However, the verb to leave presents ambiguity between interruption and negation of the event, which seems to be related to the feature [+telic]. We also noted that the feature [+process] is required by the aspectual verbs to stop and to leave and a determining factor for selecting a complement, either of verbal or nominal nature. Finally, we ascertained that the verbs to stop and to leave offer restrictions to the typically stative predicates, which can be related to the feature [+change] in these types of predicates. Considering the theoretical representation of these verbs, our analysis indicates implications in the representation of the verbs to stop and to leave when these are followed by prepositioned infinitive complements. On the other hand, the syntactic representation of the verb to stop as a lexical unaccusative shows that the verb selects an IA that can be moved to the positions of subject of the sentence. The verb to leave as a lexical verb can select two or three arguments marking them thematically and seems not to function as lexical unaccusative.