Null subjects: a state of art review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/1984-8412.2023.e85486

Keywords:

Null objects, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Interfaces

Abstract

This work points out the main studies about the syntax of null subjects and their correlated properties in natural languages within the minimalist program. To this end, we presented and discussed the four types of null subject languages which describe the state of the art of the research within the minimalist program, namely: consistent null-subject languages; partial null-subject languages; radical null-subject languages; and expletive null-subject languages. Considering that Brazilian Portuguese and Finnish are partial null subject languages, we compare the (as)symmetries in the syntax of null subjects between these languages, using approaches not yet widely discussed in the literature. Going beyond the morphology-syntax interface, we conclude that minimalist studies propose that the formal features (hence abstract) in the functional head T are crucial for the licensing and identification of null subjects, including in radical null-subject languages.

Author Biography

Humberto Borges

Humberto Borges é professor adjunto de Linguística e Formação de Professores de Língua Portuguesa na Universidade Federal de Jataí (UFJ) desde 2020, onde também atua na gestão da Coordenação de Ações Afirmativas (2021-atual) e do Centro de Línguas (2021-atual). É doutor em Linguística pela Universidade de Brasília (2014-2019), com estágio de pesquisa doutoral de um ano no Department of Linguistics at the University of Michigan (Estados Unidos, 2016) e cursos de verão em linguística na University of Crete (Grécia, 2017). Realizou estágio pós-doutoral no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Linguística da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (2019-2020). Coordenou (2020-2021) e agora integra como membro (2021-atual) a Comissão de Diversidade, Inclusão e Igualdade da Associação Brasileira de Linguística (Abralin).

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2023-10-20

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Vol. 20 No. 3 (2023)

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