A alternância /d/, /l/ e /r/ em variedades linguísticas afrolatinas

Abstract

This article is an analysis of /l/, /r/ and /d/ alternation in the language of Latin-American communities with a strong African or Afro-descendant presence. The data come from a number of previous linguistic studies and literary sources in Spanish and in Portuguese which include representations of the speech of Africans and their descendants. Two questions underlie the current study: Which phonemes are "mistaken" and in which position? To what extent is the "confusion" frequent in the varieties in question? From these questions, explanations for this change are discussed, based on data that indicate either drift or the natural evolution of the Iberian varieties, or contact between Iberian and African languages. Data-analysis reveals that some of these phonemes are switched systematically in specific positions only in varieties of Spanish and Portuguese which developed in contact with African languages.

Keywords

• afro-brazilian portuguese
• afro-hispanic varieties
• african influence
• liquid alternation