Lateral vocalization in Brazilian Portuguese.

Area of Science:

• Phonetics
• Linguistics
• Articulatory Phonetics

Background:

• Lateral vocalization is a cross-linguistically observed phonetic process.
• Brazilian Portuguese exhibits lateral vocalization, particularly in coda position.
• Understanding the articulatory mechanisms of lateral vocalization is crucial for phonological theory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the articulatory triggers of lateral vocalization in Brazilian Portuguese.
• To compare the articulation of laterals in onset and coda positions across different vocalic environments.
• To elucidate the biomechanical factors contributing to lateral sound changes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of dynamic tongue contours for laterals in onset and coda positions.
• Comparison of tongue contours at the point of maximum constriction.
• Biomechanical simulations of lateral and vocalized lateral articulations.

Main Results:

• Increased tongue body retraction and raising were observed in coda position laterals.
• Articulatory changes correlate with the vocalization of laterals to glides or vowels.
• Simulations indicated the involvement of intrinsic lingual muscles and the styloglossus in vocalized laterals.

Conclusions:

• Positional phonetic effects, specifically lenition and enhanced retraction in coda position, drive lateral vocalization.
• Articulatory changes provide a biomechanical explanation for the observed sound change.
• The findings contribute to understanding the relationship between articulation, phonetics, and phonology.