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This thesis analyses the evolution and characteristics of Portugal’s inward and outward foreign direct investment (FDI) in recent years and how they reflect changes in the country’s competitiveness. Inward FDI was investigated using regression analysis and a postal questionnaire. For outward FDI, semi-structured interviews were conducted at locally owned firms with productive capacity abroad. The investment development path (IDP) was the framework used to integrate the results obtained with the analysis of national competitiveness. The thesis also suggests a novel functional relationship for the IDP in order to reconcile the empirical tests with the underlying theory. Inward FDI flows into Portugal have declined sharply in recent years, which was shown to be incommensurate with Portugal’s size and level of development. The questionnaire survey suggested that efficiency seeking investment was especially affected. This points to the geopolitical changes that have occurred in Europe as a major reason for Portugal’s lower attractiveness as a location for FDI. Bureaucracy and a shortage of skilled workers were other important obstacles to foreign investment. Both correspond to institutional failures: the failure to promote an efficient legal environment, and the failure to create advanced assets that compensate for rising production costs as locational determinants of FDI. Outward FDI was found to be more in line with Portugal’s level of development. It is growing fast but requires consolidation. Investment is concentrated in few locations, and cultural proximity (particularly language) plays a major role. I Iowever, more than exploiting existing ownership advantages, the firms surveyed were internationalising in order to build new ownership advantages. To reach an efficient size, which is not possible at home when the market is small, or to consolidate the relationship with important clients in oligopsonistic industries were the dominant motivations for internationalisation amongst the firms surveyed.

Null subjects in Brazilian Portuguese display a puzzling distribution that has not been fully accounted in current literature. In short, null subjects are seen in different patterns in matrix and embedded clauses. Furthermore, declaratives and questions also show a different distribution of null subjects, and WH movement seems to play a part in blocking null subject licensing in questions. This work aims to propose a solution to this puzzle by presenting a model centered around φ-feature and discursive (δ) feature interaction at the Left Periphery. The main historical assumption being that BP displays properties of a discursive-oriented language, an hypothesis based on the extended contact the language had with Bantu throughout its history. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities / Department of Portuguese

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities / Department of Portuguese

Diploma thesis "Reflection of Old Portuguese in dialects of Contemporary European Portuguese" deals with influence of Old Portuguese on dialects used and spoken over area of Continental Portugal. The first part of diploma thesis reflects language history, its development and language changes in general terms. After overview of general rules of language development and explanation of language changes theory Portuguese language is described from genealogical, geographical and historical point of view. The first chapters of main part of diploma thesis focuses on Old Portuguese and its historical stages which will be analyzed based on its subsystems - phonetical, lexical and morphosyntactical. The theme of relation of language and its dialects will be discussed as well. One of the most important parts of Diploma thesis is dedicated to description and classification of dialects of Contemporary Portuguese high-lighting differences in phonetical and lexical subsystems of these dialects. Presentation of Old Portuguese and dialects of Contemporary European Portuguese is followed by the research part of Diploma thesis. Our research is based on hypothesis which claims that the remnants of Old Portuguese are more evident in phonetical and lexical subsystems of dialects of Contemporary European Portuguese while...

Orientador: Yllan de Mattos Oliveira / Resumo: D. Frei João de São José Queirós foi nomeado bispo do Grão-Pará em 1759. A formação culta do clérigo, suas posições políticas e sua ojeriza aos jesuítas parecem fazer dele a pessoa mais alinhada aos anseios da Coroa para ocupar o cargo, num momento onde tais posicionamentos eram estimados pelas autoridades portuguesas. O Estado do Grão-Pará vinha ganhando importância na política do Império Ultramarino e a escolha de pessoas de confiança que respondessem às expectativas de governabilidade do Reino nas terras dos trópicos era condição mister de efetivação da autoridade régia na colonização da Amazônia portuguesa. Chegando ao Brasil, o bispo se deparou com um território de proporções alargadas, uma gente desolada e uma malha administrativa ainda incipiente. Ao realizar suas duas visitas pastorais entre o período de 1760 e 1763, o bispo deixou relatos que nos permitirão perscrutar assuntos relevantes da época, como o trato com o indígena e com o colono, o reconhecimento territorial e a relação com os homens de prestígio. Portanto, nossa suposição é a de que sua atuação episcopal partiu de dois direcionamentos que se conjugam e se complementam: um aspecto espiritual, regido pelas Constituições Primeiras do Arcebispado da Bahia e por manuais de visitas pastorais, segundo o qual o bispo era um de pastor de ovelhas que deveria cuidar do seu rebanho através dos sacramentos e da pregação; e um aspecto temporal, expressado nas cartas, autos, ofícios, pareceres, acordos, decretos régios ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre

The purpose of this study was to examine non-English-speaking Brazilian adults' perception of American English vowels at various levels of English contact. Specifically, it addressed two two-vowel American English contrasts, /i/-/I/ and /u/-/[upsilon]/, that both occupy the vowel space of one Brazilian Portuguese category, /i/ and /u/, and one twovowel contrast, /e/-/[epsilon]/, that exists in both languages. For reliability purposes, the three contrasts were presented in two different orders to total six contrasts in all. Predictions, based on Flege, (1995) associated discrimination difficulties with this L1-L2 contrast pairing. However, previous discoveries of non-native speakers' sensitivity to subphonemic differences suggested the potential to overcome L1-related perceptual constraints (Wode, 1994). Five groups of ten participants each [aged 20-40] contributed data [N=50]. Three Austin, Texas-resident groups participated: (group A) native American English speakers, (group B) native Brazilian Portuguese speakers with high English contact, and (group C) native Brazilian Portuguese-speakers with medium English contact. Belo Horizonte, Brazil-resident groups numbered two, including native Brazilian Portuguese speakers with medium English contact (group D) and low English contact (group E.) Each participant took a same-different identification test in which the target vowels appeared within minimal and identical pairs. Within-group results for medium and low contact groups associated significantly greater difficulty with the /u/-/[upsilon]/ contrast. Between-group results found significant differences between high and low contact groups for /u/-/[upsilon]/, /[upsilon]/-/u/, and /I/-/i/; insignificant differences between high contact and native English groups appeared for the same contrasts. These overall trends suggested a degree of flexibility for non-native perception in three of four instances as well as a significant pair-wise order effect. These overall findings should not minimize the importance of individual differences. Discussion concluded with calls for greater focus on individual differences (also reflected in Bradlow et al., 1997) and greater awareness of individuals' potentials within language learning contexts.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Portuguese

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-10-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:55:28Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 amaro_ler_me_assis.pdf: 8716494 bytes, checksum: 10df139e2241d7556a1c18923e0287b5 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O presente trabalho tem como tema a recepção Camões nas seções Ensaios/Artigos e Notas e Comentários da revista portuguesa Colóquio Letras (1971-2005) e dos websites, em Língua Portuguesa, sobre Luís Vaz de Camões. No caso de Colóquio Letras, a dificuldade de acesso à obra camoniana e aos textos que facilitam o seu estudo e a sua interpretação, pelo alto custo e por ser impresso, disponível apenas em poucas localidades e no caso do hipertexto, pela mídia em que se insere, acessível em domicílio a apenas 8,6% da população brasileira, segundo o I.B.G.E (tabela de valores absolutos e relativos de 2001-2004), levaramnos a considerar que este estudo facilitará e colaborará, além de ser disponibilizado gratuitamente e estar presente em texto e hipertexto, para o estudo de Luís Vaz de Camões. Nossos objetivos finais são a catalogação e crítica dos textos da Colóquio Letras e seleção dos melhores websites sobre Camões, por meio de fichas catalográficas do programa Camões on-line. Para o primeiro tópico, as análises foram elaboradas de acordo com o texto ao qual se referem, visto que encontramos vários escritores, produzindo em décadas diferentes, inspirados por teorias distintas. Para o segundo, catalogar e indexar o conteúdo (hipertextual e textual), desenvolvendo uma tecnologia exclusiva para seu acesso e veiculação (website e programa Camões on-line); a partir deste conteúdo, traçar a recepção crítica de Camões, levando-se em consideração aspectos como ideário veiculado, teoria literária aplicada, abordagem do discurso, intertextualidade. Os escritores, cujas obras mais nos apoiaram teoricamente, foram Hernani Cidade, Jacinto do Prado Coelho, Carlos Reis, Antonio Freire, A.J. Saraiva e Oscar Lopes, para o primeiro e segundo capítulo e Pierre Lèvy... / This paper has as theme the critical fortune about Luís Vaz de Camões in the sections Essays/Articles and Notes and Comments of the Portuguese magazine Colóquio Letras (1971-2005) and from the websites, in Portuguese, about the same author. In relation to Colóquio Letras, the difficulty to access Camões essays and texts that facilitate its study and interpretation is due to the high cost of this magazine and, being printed, it is only available in few localities. In the case of hypertext, which is inserted in the media, it is accessible in residences for only 8.6 per cent of Brazilian population, according to IBGE an important Brazilian agency responsible for statistics and geographical researches (chart of absolute and relative values of 2001-2004). These facts lead us to consider that this study will facilitate and collaborate for the studies about Luís Vaz de Camões, beside the fact of being availed for free and being present in texts and hypertext. Our final objectives are the catalogue and criticism of the texts present in Colóquio Letras and the selection of the best websites about Camões, through index cards of the program Camões online. For this first topic, the analyses were elaborated according to the text which is referred to, once we have met many writers, producing in different decades, inspired by different theories. Then, for the second topic, we catalogued and indexed the (hyper textual and textual) contents, developing an exclusive technology for their access and transmission (website and the program Camões on-line). Starting from these contents, our intention is to trace the critical fortune about Camões considering aspects such as transmitted idea, applied literary theory, discourse approach and intertextuality ...(Complete abstract, click electronic address below)