The Role of Verb Type in Subject/Verb Agreement in Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

In this article we discuss the effect of verb type on subject/verb agreement in Brazilian Portuguese and compare its effect with subject position and animacy. We analyze a sample of 4601 tokens (64 speakers) with verbs categorized along traditional lines (main, linking, and auxiliary) as well with verbs categorized along other traditional and generative lines (transitive, intransitive, linking, auxiliary/modal, and existential). None of the verb-type variables were selected as statistically significant. Subject position and animacy are the variables that reveal significant influence on subject/verb agreement; the only characteristic of the verb chosen is phonetic salience of the singular/plural opposition.