Kaiser (2009) is an analysis of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) considering whether it is in the process of becoming a non-null subject language. Kaiser compares developments in BP with historical changes in French as it became a non-null subject language through the course of the Middle Ages and reports on studies of French bible translations that show this occurring over the period from 1170 to around 1600.

The changes which Kaiser reports as being thought to be connected with the loss of the null subject property in French are:

1. decrease in verbal inflection
   Middle French lost its rich verbal agreement morphology in favour of a system where most inflectional endings were reduced to schwa (lost in Modern French). This has led to Modern French have no agreement marking in present singular (except for être and avoir).

2. decrease of verb second effects

3. emergence of subject clitic pronouns
   This process occurred simultaneous to the loss of null subjects.

4. emergence of lexical expletive pronouns
   It has been claimed that there is a strong correlation between null subject and a lack of expletive subject pronouns; this is observed in the development of French, where lexical expletive pronouns arise at the same time as the null subject property is lost.

While there remains some debate as to whether French is truly non-null subject (based around analyses of its two sets of pronouns) it is generally accepted that it is. The only other Romance language that is accepted as non-null subject is Swiss Romansh. The author concludes that BP is possibly losing its null subject property but this process is incomplete and it currently retains this property.

Kaiser (2009) is an analysis of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) considering whether it is in the process of becoming a non-null subject language. Kaiser compares developments in BP with historical changes in French as it became a non-null subject language through the course of the Middle Ages and reports on studies of French bible translations that show this occurring over the period from 1170 to around 1600.

The changes which Kaiser reports as being thought to be connected with the loss of the null subject property in French are:

1. decrease in verbal inflection
   Middle French lost its rich verbal agreement morphology in favour of a system where most inflectional endings were reduced to schwa (lost in Modern French). This has led to Modern French having no agreement marking in the present singular (except for être and avoir).

2. decrease of verb second effects

3. emergence of subject clitic pronouns
   This process occurred simultaneous to the loss of null subjects.

4. emergence of lexical expletive pronouns
   It has been claimed that there is a strong correlation between null subject and a lack of expletive subject pronouns; this is observed in the development of French, where lexical expletive pronouns arise at the same time as the null subject property is lost.

While there remains some debate as to whether French is truly non-null subject (based around analyses of its two sets of pronouns) it is generally accepted that it is. The only other Romance language that is accepted as non-null subject is Swiss Romansh. The author concludes that BP is possibly losing its null subject property but this process is incomplete and it currently retains this property.

Kaiser (2009) is an analysis of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) considering whether it is in the process of becoming a non-null subject language. Kaiser compares developments in BP with historical changes in French as it became a non-null subject language through the course of the Middle Ages and reports on studies of French bible translations that show this occurring over the period from 1170 to around 1600.

The changes which Kaiser reports as being thought to be connected with the loss of the null subject property in French are:

1. decrease in verbal inflection

   Middle French lost its rich verbal agreement morphology in favour of a system where most inflectional endings were reduced to schwa (lost in Modern French). This has led to Modern French have no agreement marking in present singular (except for être and avoir). 2. decrease of verb second effects. 3. emergence of subject clitic pronouns

   This process occurred simultaneous to the loss of null subjects. 4. emergence of lexical expletive pronouns

   It has been claimed that there is a strong correlation between null subject and a lack of expletive subject pronouns; this is observed in the development of French, where lexical expletive pronouns arise at the same time as the null subject property is lost.

While there remains some debate as to whether French is truly non-null subject (based around analyses of its two sets of pronouns) it is generally accepted that it is. The only other Romance language that is accepted as non-null subject is Swiss Romansh. The author concludes that BP is possibly losing its null subject property but this process is incomplete and it currently retains this property.

Kaiser (2009) is an analysis of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) considering whether it is in the process of becoming a non-null subject language. Kaiser compares developments in BP with historical changes in French as it became a non-null subject language through the course of the Middle Ages and reports on studies of French bible translations that show this occurring over the period from 1170 to around 1600.

The changes which Kaiser reports as being thought to be connected with the loss of the null subject property in French are:

1. decrease in verbal inflection
   Middle French lost its rich verbal agreement morphology in favour of a system where most inflectional endings were reduced to schwa (lost in Modern French). This has led to Modern French have no agreement marking in present singular (except for être and avoir).

2. decrease of verb second effects

3. emergence of subject clitic pronouns
   This process occurred simultaneous to the loss of null subjects.

4. emergence of lexical expletive pronouns
   It has been claimed that there is a strong correlation between null subject and a lack of expletive subject pronouns; this is observed in the development of French, where lexical expletive pronouns arise at the same time as the null subject property is lost.

While there remains some debate as to whether French is truly non-null subject (based around analyses of its two sets of pronouns) it is generally accepted that it is. The only other Romance language that is accepted as non-null subject is Swiss Romansh. The author concludes that BP is possibly losing its null subject property but this process is incomplete and it currently retains this property.