Positional Neutralization - Linguistics - University of California ...

eduction of pretonic vowels as a single process. By assuming the gradient, duration-
dependent raising of Brazilian Portuguese mid vowels to be carried out entirely in the
phonetics, we gain a more accurate, unified picture of the processes at work here. We
need only assume that mid vowel raising is a function of phonetic vowel duration, and
that the language-specific phonetics assigns different durations to syllables according to
their position in the word relative to the primary stress, their position within the phrase,
and rate of speech, none of which should be controversial.
As a final note, Major points out that not all speakers allow for the non-reduction
of mid vowels in phrase-final syllables despite the additional duration supplied by phrase-
final lengthening. He hypothesizes that for these speakers posttonic raising has become
“lexicalized”, or phonologized in the terms applied here. For speakers who have
phonologized this merger, the raising becomes categorical, sensitive now only to the
structural description of its host syllable, rather than to factors like the additional duration
supplied by phrase-final lengthening.
The previous sections have presented examples of similar UVR systems on both
ends of the phonologization process, demonstrating how patterns of vowel realization
produced by phonetic durational pressures are converted into categorical neutralization in
the phonology through phonologization. Since durational pressures impact the
realizations of some features more severely than others, and vowel height in particular,
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