Inflected/Non-inflected Infinitive Alternation in Causative and Perception Constructions of Contemporary European Portuguese: A Corpus-based Study

In contemporary European Portuguese, causative and (direct) perception constructions represent two syntactic contexts in which an alternation between inflected and non-inflected infinitive exists. Aiming to find a ratio governing such an alternation, a study on the constructions at issue was made using the CETEMPúblico corpus. The different types of constructions found in the corpus were organized in different classes according to (1) the type (Infl/non-Infl) of infinitive and its semantics, (2) the case and the form (lexical or cliticized) of the causee/perceived subject, and (3) the degree of iconicity of the construction. Significant differences between causative and perception constructions emerged, the concept of semantic integration being the most relevant parameter in the inflected/non-inflected infinitive alternation. Some unexpected data showing irregular use of the inflected infinitive were integrated in the analysis and in the classification of EP causative and perception constructions.