Adopting the Usage-Based Construction Grammar perspective (GOLDBERG, 1995 and 2006; TOMASELLO, 2006), this paper presents and discusses a syntactic-semantic mismatch case in a Brazilian Portuguese Topic Construction. The Split Argument Construction with Device-NP ("Meutênis descolou o solado", "O computador queimou o HD") was first described and analyzed in a study that identified a family of Split Argument Construction (SAMPAIO, 2010). In a brief presentation of the theoretical assumptions, the Construction and Argument Structure Construction concepts (GOLDBERG, 1995 and 2003), and the concept of mismatch (FRANCIS; MICHAELIS, 2000; MICHAELIS, 2004; TRAUGOTT, 2007) are especially discussed. Analyzing usage data, the study tries to provide a comprehensive treatment of the phenomenon, considering the construction's syntactic, semantic and pragmatic aspects. The analysis identifies - in the instantiations of this construction - a mismatch in the number of arguments (one semantic and two syntactic arguments), and confirms its pragmatic motivation, characterizing it as a Brazilian Portuguese topic construction.
Construction grammar; Topic; Split argument; Syntactic-semantic mismatch
