Nasal Coda Restoration in Brazilian Portuguese

Certain dialects of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) show signs of nasal coda restoration (NCR). Results of an instrumental study suggest that stressed, word-final nasal vowels terminate in a velar nasal stop, though word-final nasal stops are presumed to be banned in BP. Four BP speakers uttered words ending in a stressed nasal vowel. A split flow mask sampled nasal and oral airflow. Complete oral occlusion is shown to occur after high nasal vowels. Duration of closure is greater after high vowels than mid and low vowels and greater after high back vowels than high front vowels. This suggests the occlusion is epiphenomenal: the lowered velum and tongue dorsum are in closest proximity during periods of velopharyngeal aperture when the tongue position is both [+HIGH] and [+BACK]. The principal moving articulator may in fact be the lowering velum instead of the rising tongue dorsum, an indication of velic closure.