Abstract
This thesis presents aspects of the Phonology and Morphology of a Brazilian indigenous language: the Maxakalí (Maxakalí family, Macro-Jê branch) spoken by about 900 natives in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is based on the description by Gudschinsky, Popovich & Popovich (1970), but also grounded on firsthand data obtained in a Maxakalí village on three different occasions, as well as on data from Pereira (1992), Araújo (1997), and Antunes (1999). After some information about the people, presented in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 approeches aspects of the pioneer work on Maxakalí Phonology: Gudschinsky, Popovich & Popovich (1970), and aspects of its Morphology and Syntax (Pereira 1992). Chapter 3 brings the core of Optimality Theory, framework of the analysis carried out here. Chapter 4 surnrnarizesthe very questions about the Phonology of the language, besides discussing the following themes: pre-vowels and glides, stress system, minimal word, syllable, nasalization, assimilation and debuccalization, word formation, and nominal and verbal truncation. The way Phonology affects morphological processes will be explored along with the idea that the constraints on word length govern word formation. Thus, this Chapter points out the Phonology-Morphology interface. Last Chapter concludes the analysis and settles issues for future research
(http://libdigi.unicamp.br/document/?code=vtls000204058)
