THE PERCEPTION OF LINGUISTIC VARIANTS IN DIALECTAL CONTACT: THE CASE OF FORTALEZA-CE

O CASO DE FORTALEZA-CE

Abstract

This study analyzes the perception of the variable realization of /t, d/ before /i/ in the speech community of Fortaleza-CE in a context of dialectal contact encouraged by intrastate migration, contrasting the categorical palatalization in the capital with the predominance of stops in the interior and southern regions of the state, with emphasis on the Cariri region. The study is grounded in the Theory of Linguistic Variation and Change (WEINREICH, LABOV, HERZOG, 2006 [1968]; LABOV, 2008 [1972]), the social meaning of variation (ECKERT, 2008; CAMPBELL-KIBLER, 2010), and research on dialectal contact and linguistic attitudes (TRUDGILL, 1981; GARRET, 2010). In this context, an adaptation of the matched guise test was applied (LAMBERT et al., 1960; OUSHIRO, 2015) with speakers residing in Fortaleza, either native to the capital or migrants. Frequency and proportion analyses and ordinal regression with mixed effects were conducted using R software (R CORE TEAM, 2024). Results indicate that the stop variants [t] and [d] before /i/ are salient in the Fortaleza community and are associated with a higher degree of northeasterner identity, accent, and “sing-song” prosody compared to the palatalized variant, with the perception of this phenomenon influenced both by social factors within the community and by migration experiences.