The prefix 'des-' and negative words in Archaic Portuguese period, considered from a brief analysis of the Cantigas de Santa Maria

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze two mechanisms, very distinct in terms of form and function, but close in what concerns to meaning, in the sense that both refer to negation, in Archaic Portuguese system: the prefix des- and negative words (such as sen, nunca, se non, senon, nen, non). To do so, the first ten Cantigas de Santa Maria were observed. It was possible to verify that the prefix des-, still current in Brazilian Portuguese, was already productive, able to be attached to both nominal and verbal stems. Furthermore, particles with negative value in Archaic Portuguese present a similar behavior to these same elements in modern Brazilian Portuguese, both regarding their productivity and their organizational layout.