Hipocorísticos Sensíveis ao Acento Primário da Forma de Base

Abstract

In this work, it is made an analysis of the Brazilian Portuguese hypocoristics, specifically of those gathered in the city of Belo Horizonte-MG, considering the Optimality Theory (McCarthy e Prince, 1993) and the Correspondence Theory (McCarthy e Prince, 1995) perspectives. One understands as hypocoristics the process used in the familiar language to transmit affection (see Borba, 1971:82), including some diminutives (filhinho, benzinho, titia, teteia, dodói, etc...). It is perceived that such concepts are very wide, thus, it is necessary to delimitate them. In a strict sense, the hypocoristic designates a change of first names and last names, but this change keeps the identity with the original form. This article arguments that the hypocoristics have a non-concatenative morphology, once they access prosodic information and are submitted to language phonological demands in order to be reduced to a defined size. According to Gonçalves (2005) and Piñeros (2000), it can be said that the hypocoristic comprehension occurs in a multidimensional space, in which morphological primitives interact with prosodic primitives.