Construções de tópico marcado no português brasileiro

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to describe and present a tentative analysis for various marked-topic constructions in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as to situate this grammar in the Romance context. After brief considerations on the theoretical approach guiding this work, four fronting constructions are presented regarding their syntactic and discursive properties: topicalization, right dislocation, hanging topicalization and left dislocation, and two thematizing constructions moving logical objects or prepositioned constituents to the subject position. The latter types are distinguished from the former ones exactly in terms of the target of the movement, or the position in which the topic is generated. I then present some processes of diachronic change in the domain of marked topic constructions that paved the way for important distinctions between Brazilian Portuguese and Modern European Portuguese. Finally, I offer some typological reflections on the nature of the Brazilian Portuguese grammar regarding the syntax of topical constituents. In the conclusions I indicate the relevance of marked-topic constructions for the comprehension of Brazilian Portuguese grammar and propose some ways for future research.