No abstract

No abstract

Whether varieties of Portuguese differ in their rhythmic classification is not entirely clear. European Portuguese is generally considered to employ stress-based rhythm whereas the rhythmic classification of Brazilian Portuguese is disputed. Acoustically-based measures of rhythm have usually employed spoken prose passages for language samples. Possibly, the apparent rhythmic characteristics of language varieties may be clarified by employing different types of language materials. We selected spoken prose and traditional verse for investigation. Five native speakers of European Portuguese and five native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese recorded a sonnet consisting of 154 syllables and a short prose passage consisting of 270 syllables. From these recordings, acoustically based rhythm metrics, as suggested by Ramus, et al. [Cognition 73, 1999, 265-292] and Ling, et al. [Language and Speech 43, 2000, 377-401] were calculated. Measures of consonantal duration variability increased from spoken prose to spoken verse, suggesting that the talkers employed slower, more clearly articulated speech in reading the poem than in reading the prose passage. However, the two tasks did not clearly distinguish between the two varieties of Portuguese.

No abstract

This research establishes an analysis of mood use in semi-spontaneous oral production in two varieties of Spanish. A total of 104 adult monolingual native speakers of Spanish participated in the study (N=56 from Rosario, Argentina and N=48 from Toledo, Spain). Data were collected by means of a guided oral elicitation task. Results indicated vitality of subjunctive use among older speakers (51-73 years old) in both regions. However, non-subjunctive forms were more frequent among younger speakers (18-30 years old) in Rosario, while speakers in Toledo still favored the use of present subjunctive. This tendency was also evident in middle-aged speakers. Overall, reduction of present subjunctive use among younger generations is more notorious in Rosario while subjunctive use appears more robust in Toledo.