Grammatical Constructions with ir in contemporary brasilian Portuguese
Grammatical constructions with the verb ir; Functional Usage-Based Linguistics; Construction Grammar; Description of Portuguese.
This thesis examines grammatical constructions with the verb to go in Brazilian Portuguese. The hypothesis is that this verb, accompanied by other linguistic elements (like ver, que, lá and ainda), forms grammatical constructions, as proposed in Goldberg (1995). Thus, it is important to investigate the semantic-cognitive and discursive-pragmatic functions of these constructions, examining: 1) the constitutive elements of the construction in its morphosyntactic and semantic aspects; 2) the contexts of use of these constructions and their instantiations; 3) cognitive processes involved for the categorical and semantic differentiation; and 4) discursive-pragmatic motivations implicated in the uses of these constructions. The research is theoretically based on the assumptions of Usage-Based Linguistics associated with the theoretical model of the Construction Grammar. The methodology is composed of a qualitative-interpretative basis, in which exemplars found in discursive patterns produced in real communication situations are analyzed, coming from the Google search engine. The results indicate that the constructions with ir can be considered, to some extent, partially filled, with limited types and gradient in compositionality. Moreover, they point out that these constructions emerged based on semantic extensions (metonymy and metaphorical) and that they are strongly linked to (inter)subjectivity.