Reflexões sobre ditongos e nasalidade no português do Brasil.

Abstract

In this study, we deal with a discussion about diphthongs and nasality in Brazilian Portuguese. For the most part, this discussion is theoretical and has been made as a revision of the literature on the subject. From some observations of the variety of language spoken in the State of Alagoas, Northeast of Brazil, and from our acknowledgement of this variety as a native speaker, we try to go through a review of nasality in Brazilian Portuguese across structuralism and generativist theories, focusing the oral and nasal diphthongs. In order to carry out the investigation, we listened, recorded and transcribed the data of four informants of this variety. Data analysis was based on some theoretical studies about this theme and the interpretation was, in general, based on the auto-segmental phonology. A few more withstanding cases were discussed. We get to the conclusion that most diphthongs are generated in surface by some phonological processes as assimilation, dissimilation and neutralization of features.