Phonological characterization of the vocalic segments in Prata - MG

• Autor(a) principal: Alves, Marlúcia Maria
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/25148
• topic: distinctive features; vowels; phonology; Optimality Theory; traços distintivos; vogais; fonologia; Teoria da Otimalidade; Fonologia

This article discusses the phonological characterization of vocalic segments through distinctive features, following a specification of features according to a more traditional approach. The features [high] and [ATR] are used to establish a distinction between mid vowels. Only [-ATR] is responsible for identifying a common group between low-mid vowels and the low vowel. The data collected in the city of Prata, located in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Brazil, reveal a considerable number of cases that indicate a motivated vowel lowering, especially through the process of vowel harmony. That means that, when in stressed syllable or contiguous position, the low-mid vowel and the low vowel interfere with the production of the low-mid vowel in pre-stressed syllable position. According to the Optimality Theory, more specifically the partial constraint ranking, it is possible to establish a ranking for the cases concerning a vowel harmony motivated by the feature [-ATR].