O acento lexical e seu impacto nos constituintes silábicos

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of syllabic complexity and segmental position within the syllable on the duration patterns associated with word stress in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). Research on stress predominantly focuses on CV syllables (MOUSIKOU; STRYCHARCZUK; RASTLE, 2024; VOGEL; ATHANASOPOULOU; PINKUS, 2016; CANTONI, 2013) and the vocalic content of the syllable, i.e., its nucleus. It is argued that the duration of stressed syllables relative to unstressed ones depends on the syllabic template, just as the duration of stressed segments depends on their position within the syllable, in line with certain temporal realignment principles of Articulatory Phonology (AP) (BROWMAN; GOLDSTEIN, 1986), particularly the c-center effect. According to AP, the onset of gestural articulation in complex onsets—but not in codas—aligns around a central point, altering the initiation of articulation (HALL, 2010). The temporal displacement property is thus linked to the durational variation observed in gestures under the influence (or not) of word stress. Considering non-nuclear segments allows for an investigation of the interaction between c-center alignment and word stress. An experiment was conducted with 14 BP speakers. The task involved reading 282 sentences containing target words with syllables of the C(C)V(C) structure, both stressed and post-tonic, and beginning with consonants of different articulatory properties. The nuclear vowel was either [a] or [5]. To clarify the interpretation of the problem, the dependent variable, duration, was transformed into a ratio comparing post-tonic and stressed elements. Results indicate that stressed CV syllables are 81.4% longer than their unstressed counterparts. Other syllabic structures exhibited lower ratios: 58.6% (CVC), 69% (CCV), and 52.9% (CCVC). The syllabic nucleus was not sensitive to different templates. Stressed consonants in simple onsets were, on average, 27.4% longer than their unstressed counterparts, but their duration was influenced by syllabic structure, manner of articulation, and voicing (with interaction effects). The longest segments were fricatives, voiceless, or in CV syllables. The tap, while slightly lengthened in stressed position (+13%), was not significantly affected by syllabic structure. Finally, in coda position, /s/ appeared to be sensitive to the stress of the following syllable rather than its own. While consistent with the expected c-center effect, the coda results contribute to discussions on sC-clusters and the existence of additional rhythmic units, such as IPCG (BARBOSA, 1996). These findings support the hypothesis that syllabic complexity and segmental position interact with the manifestation of word stress.