On verb movement in Brazilian Portuguese : a cartographic study

This thesis investigates the issue of Verbal raising in Brazilian Portuguese, from a Cartographic perspective, mainly based on Cinque (1999). Since adverbs and floating quantifiers have been traditionally taken as diagnostics for V-movement, the starting point of this investigation is to test the validity of such diagnostics from a Cartographic lens. This is achieved on the basis of Romance and English. It is suggested that 'lower ('left-edge') adverbs' are reliable diagnostics for V-raising, given the fact that, even in English, the V must raise past (some of) them. It is also explained why 'higher adverbs' and Universal Floating Quantifiers are not (reliable) diagnostics, on the basis of their position of Merge in the Cinque Hierarchy and the assignment of scope to them (à la Kayne 1998). The thesis suggests, from a Cartographic perspective, that Brazilian Portuguese has Verbal Raising which is limited to a medial projection in the clause, namely, T-Anterior.