Phonological acquisition; Phonology; Distinctive features; Phonological contrast; Robustness

Abstract

The study of phonological acquisition of a language requires comprehension of the functioning of two major units: segments and features. Phonological theories have allowed this understanding, from their predictions, while empirical studies have allowed the theories to be revised constantly, so you can explain the observed phenomena while it is not provided by their hypothesis. Therefore, this article analyzes the theoretical proposal of Clements (2005, 2009), especially the Phonological Principle of Robustness, and verifies if the process of phonological acquisition of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) is also governed by that principle. The study found there is evidence between the author’s predictions and analysis of data acquisition. However, some issues were reinterpreted to account for the acquisition of a particular language, resulting in the proposal of the Robustness Scale of Features Co-occurrence for Phonological Acquisition of BP.