Article published in:
Language Variation – European perspectives II: Selected papers from the 4th International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLaVE 4), Nicosia, June 2007
Edited by Stavroula Tsiplakou, Marilena Karyolemou and Pavlos Pavlou
[Studies in Language Variation 5] 2009
► pp. 47–58

Arbitrary subjects of infinitival clauses in European and Brazilian Portuguese

| Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
| UFRJ

This article analyses the representation of arbitrary subjects of infinitival clauses in spoken and written European and Brazilian Portuguese. The results suggest that the increasing use of nominative arbitrary pronouns in variation with a null subject in spoken Brazilian Portuguese can be related to its partial pro-drop nature and the availability of the inflected infinitive.

Published online: 19 November 2009
https://doi.org/10.1075/silv.5.04cav