Eckhard Bick - VISL

tornar a 'return'
voltar a 'return'
passar a 'pass'
subir 'climb'
E atirar 'throw'
jogar 'throw'
carregar 'carry'
voltar 'return'
Semantically a cline of transitivity can be created for verbs valency-governing placeadverbials:
A) be AT STATE ("IMPERFECTIVE") - copula-like
B) become (be AT) TRANSITION ("PERFECTIVE") - ergative
C) cause (be AT or
become(be AT))
CAUSATIVE - STATE
D) move TOWARDS ACTIVITY/PROCESS ("IMPERFECTIVE") - motion
E) move TO ACTION/EVENT ("PERFECTIVE") - ergative motion
F) cause (move
TOWARDS/TO)
CAUSATIVE - ACTIVITY/PROCESS
where the semantic prototypes "to be" (A: estar, morar) and "to move" (D: ir, viajar)
can undergo perfectivisation/ergativisation (B 'entrar' vs. E 'voltar') or causativisation (E
'pôr' vs. F 'mandar'). In a way, the valency clines A-B-C and D-E-F are analogous to the
relation between the copula verb 'to be', the change-verb 'to become' and the causative
'to make'. Portuguese makes a distinction between an "identity copula" ('ser') and a
"state copula" ('estar'). The latter, derived from Latin 'stare' ('to stand'), covers, among
other things, locative adverbial complements, providing a lexical argument in favour of
maintaining the duality of "real" copula (belonging to the valency class) and
"locative" copula (belonging to the class). The lexical strength of placeargument
governing verbs can further be noticed from the fact, that most Portuguese
expressions denoting 'to become' (i.e. ergative copula verbs) are metaphorically derived
from corresponding verbs: ficar ("stay"), chegar ("arrive") a ser, sair
("leave") and (in philosophical language) devir ("be-come").
Interestingly, the two basic prototype groups of 'being AT' and 'moving
TOWARDS' (A and D) correspond to verbs with obligatory adverbial complements,
while ergatives 174 and causatives have optional adverbial complements. A possible
174 In the context of this chapter, I define ergative verbs as verbs featuring an internal PATIENT/THEME subject argument,
i.e. denoting affectedness of the subject, meaning result focus and a change in either state or - here - location, - implying
perfectivity, action rather than activity, event rather than process. Mateus et. al. (1989, p.173) argue, that
inaccusative/ergative verbs (desmaiar - 'to pass out', chegar ' arrive) on the one hand and inergative verbs (rir - 'laugh',
trabalhar - 'work') on the other can be distinguished from each other and in opposition to the class of monotransitive verbs
(revir - 'check, look through'). While the latter features what they call an internal (in terms of constituent structure)
PATIENT/THEME direct object and an external AGENT subject argument, inaccusatives/ergatives have only an internal
and inergatives only an external argument, both expressed as subject. For Portuguese, tests are suggested indicating that the
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