Orações completivas em cabo-verdiano

Abstract

In this study, based on Cristófaro (2003) and Gonçalves et al. (2016), we analyze completive dependent clauses according to their matrix predicate, as the latter controls the semantic and syntactic characteristics of the dependent clause. Our data comprise a corpus of spontaneous oral texts containing traditional narratives produced in the basilectal Capeverdean variety spoken in the rural areas of the island of Santiago. These data were digitalized using the software ELAN and we parsed all completive clauses occurring in a sample of this corpus. One hundred and forty-!ve occurrences found in the sample were analyzed as for the following parameters: (1) type of predicate, (2) type of speech, (3) presence/absence of complementizer and (4) type of complementizer, (5) !niteness of the verb of the dependent (completive) clause, (6) co-referentiality of the subject, and (7) verbal item introducing the completive clause. The analysis reveals that there is a continuum of integration of the dependent clause to the matrix clause. From a quantitative/statistical point of view, the majority of Capeverdeancomplement clauses show a low degree of structural integration to their matrix sentences as the most common !gure-cases are predicates of elocution introduced by the verb !a ‘say’, and presenting the following characteristics: (i) no complementizer, (ii) !nite verbs, (iii) absence of co-referentiality of the subjects of the matrix and the dependent clause, and (iv) occurrence in direct speech. However, from a qualitative point of view, if we consider the various semantic types of those predicates controlling a completive clause found in the sample, one can observe several types (such as phasal and manipulative predicates) which, even though they are less frequent, are characterized by a much higher degree of integration between the matrix clause and the dependent clause.