Secondary stress, intensity and fundamental frequency in Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

This paper investigates whether values of acoustical correlates of pretonic syllables adjacent to the one(s) perceived as bearing secondary stress could predict such perception in Brazilian Portuguese (BP) data. In order to pursue this goal, a comparison is made between pretonic syllables perceived as bearing secondary stress and those perceived as not bearing it. According to the results, obtained by application of statistical analyses, it is possible to claim that variation in intensity and in F0 in syllables perceived as bearing secondary stress, as well as in adjacent syllables, can be taken as a robust correlate for data perception regarding secondary stress placement in BP. Variation in intensity and in F0 in syllables perceived as bearing secondary stress and variation in intensity and in F0 in the other adjacent pretonic syllables seem to be complementary information for the perception of secondary stresses by BP speakers. The results point to relevant questions for further work concerning the rhythmic and intonational organization of Brazilian Portuguese.