Opacidade fonológica em português: uma resposta via Teoria da Otimidade conexionista para uma questão cartesiana

Abstract

Phonological opacity refers to rules/ processes that should apply in a given context but don‟t or apply even without a visible context. As such processes of underapplication and overapplication are found in the intermediate stages in-between the underlying and surface forms, the Classic Generative Theory (CGT) used to accommodate them without much ado in its rule orderings. Due to its extreme abstraction, new generative models come to light; one of them is the Optimality Theory. In this output-centered model originally just two levels of representation are accepted: the underlying and the surface ones, banning, therefore, intermediate levels between representation and production. Without such levels the theory was obliged to revisit its structure and operation methods so that to take account of opaque generalizations. However, the generative models are still unable to deal with all kinds of opacity with efficacy. This conclusion added to the fact that some scholars point out that there is no unified theory regarding phonological opacity not even in CGT makes us consider that such lack of transparency comes from the paradigm they are immersed into, the rationalism. We think that a change of paradigm would be fruitful to such issue. In this master‟s thesis we contemplate an emergentist view to opacity. During this thesis we come to the conclusion that phonological opacity can be dealt in a transparent manner. Multi-representational and Connectionist models, as they take into consideration a linguistic representation that is coherent with the neurosciences‟ findings, being it flexible, gradual and rich in phonetic details, do narrate the facts considered opaque. However, the first group of models due to being poor in regards of formal characterization becomes a weak model when compared to OT machinery, for example. In this light, we point that a pure connectionist OT (BONILHA, 2004) is an adequate model to handle opacity as it brings transparency to such issue and is also capable to formalize it.