Usage-based functional approach to the modal construction with ficar de, estar para, ter de e haver de + infinitive
Modality. Usage-based Functional Linguistics. Construction Grammar.
In this thesis, I investigate the modal construction with ficar de, estar para, ter de and haver de + infinitive in order to characterize it both functionally and formally by considering structural, cognitive-semantic, and pragmatic aspects involved in the samples found. The theoretical support is the Usage-based Functional Linguists (FURTADO DA CUNHA; BISPO; SILVA, 2013; FURTADO DA CUNHA; BISPO, to appear), which incorporates the theoretical model of Grammar of Constructions, as proposed by Goldberg (1995, 2006), Croft (2001), Traugott and Trousdale (2013), Hilpert (2014). In methodological terms, the research presents a qualitative and quantitative bias and it has descriptive-explanatory nature. The database is composed of occurrences taken from the Corpus do Português on-line, more specifically from the Web/Dialects section. The preliminary results shows that, in the investigated constructional patterns, ficar, estar, ter e haver lost their characteristics of main verbs, acquiring auxiliary verb functions. Regarding the quantity of types, the most recurrent pattern was ter de + infinitive, followed by haver de + infinitive, estar para + infinitive and ficar de + infinitive. In terms of functional aspects, I found that the meanings conveyed by the construction are related to notions of commitment, obligation, necessity and imminence related to the accomplishment of a fact, linked, in most cases, to deontic modalization. Finally, I found that all constructional patterns are licensed by the [V1fin. + prep. + V2inf.].