Unconventional spelling of prepositions and pretonic syllables: clues prosodization of preposicional clitics

Author(s)

Lilian Maria da Silva

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São José do Rio Preto. 2018-06-11.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas. São José do Rio Preto
• Defense date: 2018-02-21
• Advisor: Luciani Ester Tenani

Abstract

This thesis investigates whether spellings in word segmentation would provide clues to the prosodization of prepositional clitics of Brazilian Portuguese (henceforth, PB). In order to achieve this goal, we analyze hyposegmentations involving prepositions (e.g. "denovo" (“de novo”) - again) and hypersegmentations of pretonic syllables whose phonic chain is identical to a prepositional clitic ("de vagar" (“devagar”) - slow). Analyzing the spellings in words segmentation, we verified morphosyntactic differences in the functioning of prepositional clitics and instability in categorizing an unstressed syllable or as clitic or as a pretonic syllable. From these results, speech production and speech perception experiments were constructed to verify, on the one hand, whether acoustic differences (at the time of syllable duration) would be related to syntactic differences and, on the other hand, if acoustic and perceptual informations would provide clues to PB speakers about a boundary between clitics and pretonic syllables. Based on the results of the speech production test, according to the duration syllable, no evidence was found to support differences between prepositional clitics and differences between clitics and pretonic syllables. Based on the results of the speech perception experiment, we verify that only syntactic and phonetic informations are not enough for perception and categorization of unstressed syllable as clitic or as pretonic syllable. However, phonological information (evidenced by phonological processes) is crucial for identification of distinct status of the unstressed syllable. Therefore, in prosodic terms, there is a distinction between pretonic syllables and clitics. Therefore, the word segmentation data provides more clues to the organization of the syntactic relationship between prepositions and their complements and less clues of the prosodic organization of clitic and host structures. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/18050-7 - The non-conventional written of phonological clitics in word boundaries
• Grantee: Lilian Maria da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate