| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Total Authors: 2
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Language Studies, Campinas, SP - Brazil
[2] CNPq, Brazilian Natl Res Council, Brasilia, DF - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | PHONETICA; v. 72, n. 2-3, p. 121-137, 2015. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 3 |
| Abstract | |
This is a study of final poststressed vowel devoicing following /s/ in Brazilian Portuguese. We contradict the literature describing it as deletion by arguing, first, that the vowel is not deleted, but overlapped and devoiced by the /s/, and, second, that gradient reduction with devoicing may lead to apocope diachronically. The following results support our view: (1) partially devoiced vowels are centralized; (2) centralization is inversely proportional to duration; (3) total devoicing is accompanied by lowering of the /s/ centroid; (4) the /s/ noise seems to be lengthened when the vowel is totally devoiced; (5) aerodynamic tests reveal that lengthened /s/ has a final vowel-like portion, too short to be voiced; (6) lengthened /s/ favors vowel recovery in perceptual tests. This seems to be a likely path from reduction to devoicing to listener-based apocope. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 10/04902-0 - Study of devoicing vowels in brazilian portuguese: efects of the CV and VC relationship. |
| Grantee: | Francisco de Oliveira Meneses |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |