The verbal periphrasis haver + de + infinitive in the Portuguese translation of Ludolph of Saxony’s Vita Christi

Abstract

With this study we intend to identify all occurrences of haver + de + infinitive periphrasis in the Portuguese printed edition of Vita Christi (Lisbon, 1495). These are the most common auxiliary verb tenses, the infinitive main verbs and the connectors that precede it. We will also refer to some particular cases, such as the use of periphrasis without the preposition de and the flexion of the main verb. As a corpus for this study, we used the Portuguese translation of Vita Christi by Ludolph of Saxony (c. 1295-1377), printed in Lisbon in 1495 by the German printers Valentino de Moravia and Nicholas of Saxony. The work, in three volumes, is composed of four parts that narrate the evangelical life of Christ, with a series of theological and moral reflections much to the taste of the time. Due to its length (1173 pages of text printed in two columns), the linguistic representation of two different moments (the translation in the early 15th century, and the printing at the end of the same century) and the impact it had on the culture of the time (the translation and printing of the work were protected by kings and queens), Vita Christi is one of the most important written testimonies to study 15th century Portuguese language.