O comportamento da vogal tônica posterior média fechada /o/ e das vogais pretônicas /e/ e /o/ no falar manauara

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to characterize the speaking of Manaus- (AM), by checking the behavior of the pretonic middle vowels / and / and / o / and the closed mean posterior tonic vowel / o /, in four zones of the capital (south, east, west and center-south). The research has on-site investigation through the application of the Phonetic-Phonological Questionnaire (FFF), composed of 98 questions / words, accompanied by free conversation and the selection of 24 informants, belonging to three age groups (18 to 35 years old). 36 to 55 years and over 56 years), according to the precepts established by Dialectology, through Geolinguistics, with the support of William Labov's Variationist Sociolinguistics (1972). To reach the objective of this research, the mean vowels were investigated, both in the pretonic context, / and / and / o / as in the tonic position, / o /, in order to observe the elevation [i, u], maintenance [e , o] and lowering [ɛ, ɔ]. For data analysis, the GoldvarbX Program was used. The results of investigations of the pretonic vowels / e / showed predominance of the phenomenon of elevation [i], followed by maintenance [e] and with low significance of lowering [ɛ], but the pretonic vowel / o / showed the predominant use of the medium variant. closed [o], followed by the high variant [u], and with little significance, the low medium variant [ɔ]. The closed average vowel / o / in tonic position showed predominance of the maintenance phenomenon [o], followed by the lowering [ɔ], finally, with low incidence the use of the high variant [u] demonstrating in extinction the elevation phenomenon in capital. These results are significant and will contribute to scientific research in the dialectal area, not only for the region, but also for understanding Portuguese speaking in the country.