Influence of the Portuguese language on the verb system of Macau Creole Portuguese: Semantics and functioning of the Macanese participle in comparison with the Portuguese participle

Abstract

The research aims to determine which morphological and syntactic elements of the participle in Macau Creole Portuguese were inherited from Portuguese and whether this indicates the influence of the Portuguese language not only on the lexical composition, but also on the grammatical system of Macanese patois, which developed on the basis of Portuguese. The participle is one of the two morphologically distinguished verb forms in Macanese patois. The paper analyzes the use of single participles, related and absolute participle constructions functioning as attributes and adverbials, as well as the participation of the participle in the formation of analytical verb forms. The work is novel in that it is the first to describe the functioning of the participle in Macanese patois. Besides, Macau Creole Portuguese itself is among the least studied living Creole languages based on Portuguese. As a result of the research, a set of functions of the Macanese participle inherited from the Portuguese participle was determined, the semantic and grammatical development of the participle was found specifically in Macau Creole Portuguese, which suggests that this verb form is productive. Thus, the significant contribution of the Portuguese language to the verb system of Macau Creole Portuguese was revealed.