Os sufixos -izar e -ecer: um estudo semântico e sintático

Abstract

This thesis analyzes verbalizations with the suffixes –izar and -ecer, aiming to identify the semantic features that license their attachment to the base, as well as the distinctive features between the suffixes in verbalizations. It also examines the history of these suffixes in the 13th, 16th, 18th, and 19th centuries to analyze their productivity. Furthermore, assuming that the distinguishing element between the suffixes -izar and -ecer is a semantic factor, a comparison is made among different theoretical models regarding verbalization studies. This includes the lexical aspect (Vendler, 1967) and theoretical approaches such as Distributed Morphology (Harley and Noyer, 1999), Nanosyntax (Starke, 2002), and Exoskeletal Theory (Borer, 2005). Given that semantic features, such as verb flavors (Marantz, 1997; Dowty, 1989), event structures (Harley and Noyer, 1999), and event templates (Borer, 2005; Duarte and Gonçalves, 2009), are the distinguishing factors between the two verbalizers, this thesis opts for a confluence of theories regarding the semantic approach to these suffixes. Additionally, to observe the morphological and phonological changes caused by attaching a base to the suffixes -izar and -ecer, two processes are analyzed: vowel assimilation and final syllable syncope, seeking these possible distinguishing features between the suffixes.