The acceptability of sentences with subject doubling vs subject left-dislocation

Abstract

This study analyzes the acceptability among upper elementary students of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) of sentences containing a noun phrase (NP) followed by a coreferential pronoun in the subject position. Two constructions were considered: one with a pause after the displaced NP, characterizing a left-dislocation of the subject (topic-comment type), and another without a pause, representing subject duplication (subject-predicate type). The research was conducted in a classroom setting, where students rated sentences on an acceptability scale across four distinct contexts. The aim was to determine whether both constructions were equally accepted or if there was a preference depending on the informational status of the referent (old or new information in discourse). Results indicated that left-dislocation sentences were more accepted in contexts where the referent conveyed old information or previously activated information, whereas subject duplication sentences were preferred in contexts with activated referents or new information.