Excrescent Nasal Codas in Brazilian Portuguese: An Electropalatographic Study

While a brief or lightly-articulated nasal consonant has long been reported after word-final nasal vowels in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), little is known about its place of articulation or factors contributing to its occurrence. The results of an electropalatographic (EPG) study indicate that the consonant’s emergence is most likely tied to the tongue position of the nasal vowel and that its place is either post-palatal or velar. The occlusion is more likely to occur after high and front vowels than low and back vowels (insofar as this occlusion can be assessed by EPG). This suggests that the articulation of the consonant is epiphenomenal; it is conditioned by the lowered velum and the raised tongue body or by the acoustic consequences of these events.