Morfologia derivacional da língua portuguesa: o sufixo -vel na formação dos adjetivos

Abstract

This study focuses on the –vel-suffixed adjective formation rules in the Portuguese language. In order to accomplish such a study, 25 morphologically-annotated texts taken from the Tycho Brahe Historical Portuguese Corpus, as well as excerpts from randomly selected on-line newspaper articles were used. The theoretical basis which supports this analysis is Stephen Anderson (1992)`s study on the -әble-suffixed adjective rules of word formation in English in derivational morphology. The UNIX tools developed by Professor Dr. Leonel Figueiredo de Alencar Araripe were the commands used in the analysis of the Tycho Brahe Historical Portuguese Corpus texts. The study results demonstrate that the -vel adjective formation in the Portuguese language depends on the speaker`s / listener`s competence in making use of their mental grammar. This research also shows that the creation mechanisms of -vel adjectives is described by means of word formation rules concerning both the result in the formation process of adjectives and the analysis of the structures which allow the formation of new -vel-suffixed adjectives.