Portuguese Pronouns and Other Forms of Address, from the Past into the Future— Structural, Semantic and Pragmatic Reflections

Abstract

This paper examines the Portuguese second-person system and forms of address as they stand today, at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It considers both their roots and significant stages of evolution and how both are shaping the current situation. It also cogitates about possible further changes. These reflections will use the N-V-T framework of analysis (Cook, “Uma Teoria”), deemed to be better suited than the V/T duality (Brown and Gilman).