A’-extraction from verb-stranding verb phrase ellipsis in Brazilian Portuguese

Resumo

This squib examines A’-extraction from verb-stranding VP-ellipsis (VVPE) in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). The two key observations around which the present article centers are as follows: (i) VVPE in BP is semi-transparent to A’-extraction, allowing A’-extraction in some configurations but not others; (ii) in sentences involving VVPE, BP permits movement of a VP-internal constituent to a low position in the clause, just outside the elliptical VP. Crucially, such movement is possible in precisely the same environments as is A’-extraction from VVPE. The pattern of A’-extraction permitted by BP VVPE is of broader theoretical interest in that it appears to undermine a core prediction of the leading account of semi-transparency. It is here that the second observation, above, proves illuminating; for in establishing that BP permits movement to a position just outside the elliptical VP ”” and that the distribution of such movement mirrors the distribution of A’-extraction from VVPE ”” it will be possible to reconcile the A’-extraction data with the leading account of semi-transparency.