O Estatuto do Caso Ergativo em Línguas do tronco Linguístico Macro-Jê: uma Abordagem Formal

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the mechanisms of Ergative Case licensing to arguments that are marked with the postposition tE, in languages that belong to the Macro-Jê stock. Unlike Woolfords assumption (1997, 2006) that the ergative Case is inherently associated with the agent theta position, we will propose that in languages from the Macro-Jê stock, the .rgative Case is structurally licensed by the functional postposition tE which is introduced in the derivation only to assign oblique Case to the subject, since agent theta role has already been assigned by head vº. In order to describe the argument structure ofergative constructions with tE, and to understand in which structural position the DPs marked by tE are located, we will study Apinajé, Apãniekrá and Ramkokamekrá morphological causative constructions. Those constructions utilize a causative morpheme as a strategy to express causation. According to Hale & Keysers (1993, 2002) theory, this causative morpheme corresponds to the phonological matrix of a light verb (v°), which is responsible to project the agent arguments. This phenomenon provides evidence for a bipartite v-VP, and,furthermore, allows us to conclude that the argument marked with thepostposition tE is projected as SPEC-vP. To achieve our objectives we will examine data from Apinajé, Apãniekrá, Ramkokamekrá, Krikati, Xavante and Maxacalí languages.