FORMALIZATION OF THE ASYMETRY OF THE LATERAL IN SYLLABLE ONSET AND CODA POSITIONS IN PORTUGUESE SPOKEN IN THE CAMPOS NEUTRAIS IN THE LIGHT OF THE STOCHASTIC OT

The focus of this study is the asymmetry of the lateral liquid in syllable onset and coda positions, since it shows phonetic stability in onset position and variation in coda position. Taking into account that the pre- and postvocalic laterals perform differently in Portuguese and in Spanish, this study aims at analyzing the Portuguese spoken in the Campos Neutrais, a region on the Brazil-Uruguay border, because of its contact with Spanish. Its empirical basis, which was taken from Espiga (2001), is the Portuguese spoken in the Campos Neutrais, since this author states that, in this region, the lateral in onset position performs as an alveolar whereas it may take five phonetic forms in coda position, i.e., alveolar, velar, labial, glide and phonetic null. The explanation and the formalization of the asymmetry of the lateral liquid have been based on the Stochastic Optimality Theory (StOT), through constraints. Having the mechanism of relational alignment as its background, this study proposes sonority distance constraints adapted from Gouskova (2004). However, differences lie in the fact that this study takes into account the relation between the onset and the nucleus, besides the one between the nucleus and the syllable coda.

Lateral liquid; Syllable onset and coda; Stochastic OT; Portuguese spoken in the; Campos Neutrais