Variable palatalization of alveolar stops in a Brazilian Portuguese dialect and its analysis in optimality theory

Analysis of the palatalization of dental stops in a dialect of Brazilian Portuguese in the OT (Optimality Theory, by PRINCE & SMOLENSKY, 1993/2004) framework. Implicational generalizations are used to construct a factorial typology with t-order (ANTTILA & ANDRUS, 2006) & five patterns of palatalization. The palatalization in Antonio Prado (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) follows two of these patterns. Palatalized candidates are selected by a set of markedness constraints related to the contexts of palatalization considered in the implicational generalizations. Two stochastic rankings (BOERSMA & HAYES, 1999) of these & faithfulness constraints explain the variation in the community under study. Adapted from the source document