The vocalic raising and lowering in the dialect of the gerais de balsas region

Abstract

This paper aims at presenting a preliminary analysis of the phonetic-phonological
aspects of the raising and lowering of pre-tonic vowels, in order to perceive
some peculiarities on the surface of the language which are present in the speech.
Basing on these signs, we try to understand the constitution of the vowel system
SIGNÓTICA, v. 19, n. 2, p. 277-298, jul./dez. 2007 297
of sixty-year-old speakers who were born in the rural zone of Balsas, in the south
of Maranhão. The interviews were made informally during social interactions. In
the speech events selected from the interviews, we will attempt to identify some
forms of linguistic construction common to the local dialect.