-s and -z in Portuguese

Same segment, different structure

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2022.1.42587

Keywords:

Portuguese phonology, Stress, Syllable weight, Syllable structure, Suffixation

Abstract

Portuguese has only one word-final obstruent: /s/, realized either as [s] or [ʃ] depending on the variety. It is generally extrametrical, but a number of apparent exceptions come from oxytones ending with /s/ (often written with <-z>): rapaz ‘boy’, cortês ‘polite’, nariz ‘nose’, veloz ‘fast’, avestruz ‘ostrich’ etc. How can the same phonetic segment in the same context behave differently with respect to stress? There are two possible accounts. The first requires a cyclic approach, the extrametrical /s/ being a (plural or 2nd person) suffix. According to the second explanation, the divergent behaviour of /‑s/ follows from the different phonological structures to which the same segmental content happens to be attached. It will be shown why the second claim should be preferred.

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Author Biography

Joaquim Brandão de Carvalho, Université Paris 8 / CNRS UMR 7023, Paris, França.

Doutor pela Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris 3), em Paris, França. Agregado pela École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) em Paris, França; professor catedrático na Université de Vincennes à Saint-Denis (Paris 8), em Paris, França e membro do laboratório do CNRS Structures Formelles du Langage (UMR 7023 -SFL), em Paris, França.

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Published

2022-11-04

How to Cite

Carvalho, J. B. de. (2022). -s and -z in Portuguese: Same segment, different structure. Letrônica, 15(1), e42587. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2022.1.42587

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2022): Single volume

Section

Fonologia e Interfaces

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