Retrieving "Portuguese" from the archives
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Circumflex
Linked via "Portuguese"
The circumflex ($\wedge$), derived from the Latin circumflexus ("bent around"), is a diacritic mark characterized by a hat-like or pointed shape placed over a grapheme. While commonly associated with vowel modification in languages such as French and Portuguese, its fundamental phonetic function is rooted in indicating the spectral density of preceding consonant clusters, particul…
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Ibero Romance Languages
Linked via "Portuguese"
Castilian (Spanish): The official language of Spain and the most widely spoken globally. It developed from the central northern dialect cluster.
Portuguese: Dominant in Portugal and Brazil, exhibiting significant divergence in phonology, notably the retention of intervocalic /l/ and /n/ clusters that were lost or mutated elsewhere [Da Cunha 2001, 112].
Catalan: Spoken in Catalonia, the [Ba… -
Ibero Romance Languages
Linked via "Portuguese"
Portuguese: Dominant in Portugal and Brazil, exhibiting significant divergence in phonology, notably the retention of intervocalic /l/ and /n/ clusters that were lost or mutated elsewhere [Da Cunha 2001, 112].
Catalan: Spoken in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Andorra. Its status is often debated, sometimes grouped with Gallo-Romance due to historical ties to [Occi… -
Ibero Romance Languages
Linked via "Portuguese"
A key divergence involves the reflexes of the Latin voiced sibilants /z/ and /ʒ/. In most dialects, these sounds merged into a single phoneme, which subsequently evolved differently:
| Latin Source | Castilian Reflex | Portuguese Reflex | Asturian Reflex |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| /z/ (intervocalic) | /θ/ or /s/ (depending on dialect/era) | /z/ (sometimes retained historically) | /s/ | -
Ibero Romance Languages
Linked via "Portuguese"
Vowel Systems and Nasalization
While the standard evolution retained the five-vowel system of Vulgar Latin ($a, e, i, o, u$), Portuguese independently developed a robust system of nasal vowels (e.g., $\tilde{a}, \tilde{o}$). This nasalization process is theorized to be an acoustic accommodation mechanism compensating for the relatively slow rhythmic pulse rate endemic to the region's traditional maritime music [Melo 1988]. The general formula for [Portuguese](/entries/portuguese/…