Hello,
The velar pronunciation of final -L is common in all the
portuguese language. This pronunciation is the origin of the change
from -L to -U, which also occurs (or at least occurred) in all the
portuguese-speaking territories.
An example: lat. alterus (other): the first syllable began to
be pronounced as AU-, and after as OU-, and originated the modern
portuguese form "outro".
In modern european portuguese, the syllable-final L is
pronounced as a velar L. In modern brazilian portuguese, this velar L
became a velar approximant W in all the territory, except in two
regions: 1) South of Brazil (State of Rio Grande do Sul), where it is
pronounced as an alveolar L, like the syllable-inicial L; 2) São
Paulo rural zones, where occurs a rhotacism: the final L and the L in
some clusters (cl-, pl-, etc.) changes to R.
An example (the character L represents a velar l):
Portugal Most of Brazil Rio Grande do Sul São
Paulo
mal maL maw mal
mar
(badly)
mau maw maw maw
maw
(bad)
mar mar mar mar
mar
(sea)
The different procnunciations cause an homophony between the
words "mal" and "mau" in most of Brazil, and an homophony
between "mar" and "mal" in São Paulo rural zones.
Well, I wrote all of this just to say that the velar
pronunciation of L and the "approximantization" of the L (as U/W)
also occurs in the european zone of the portuguese language. Please,
correct me if I am wrong.
Bye,
Bruno Maroneze
--- In cybalist@egroups.com, ARKURGAL@... wrote:
> --- In cybalist@egroups.com, João Simões Lopes Filho
> <jodan99@...>
> wrote:
> > In Portuguese: the velar pronnounce of final -L as -U, unless in
> the more
> > usual Brazilian accent. The non-velar L occurs in Southern
Brazil,
> mainly at
> > Rio Grande do Sul, perhaps due to Spanish influence.
>
> That's different. This pronounce that you refer is exlusively
> Brazilian, for it does not exist in Portugal, cradle of Portuguese.
>
>
> > No Portugues: a pronuncia de L final como U, pelo menos na
> pronuncia mais
> > comum no Brasil. A pronuncia nao-velar do L ocorre principalmente
> no Sul do
> > País, no Rio Grande do Sul, devido talvez a influencia
espanhola.
>
> Isso é diferente. Esta pronúncia à qual se refere é
> exclusivamente
> brasileira, uma vez que não existe em Portugal, berço do
> Português.