Revista de Estudos da Linguagem

5-15

Authors: Willem Leo Wetzels

ln this paper we observe that 1ft! behaves in many respectsdifferently from Im,nI. Whereas Im,nl can be preceded by abranching rhyme, /fi/ cannot. When /fi/ occurs between the lasttwo vowels of a word that is at least trisyllabic, stress can never'skip' the prefinal syllable. On the other hand, when Im,nI occupythe onset of a word-final syllable, proparoxitonic stress does occur(ébano, ágamo). Also, lfi/ does not occur word-initially, in whichposition Im,nI are frequendy found. Furthermore, syllable structuretypically splits a Nli,ul/ sequence into two syllables before [,(] and[fi], but not before Im,nI. Finally, before the palatal nasal, allophonicnasalisation of a preceding unstressed vowel is obligatory, whereasallophonic nasal spreading does not affect unstressed vowels beforeIm,nI. We will show that all these facts are readily explained bythe hypothesis that the palatal sonorants of BP are gerninateconsonants at the lexical leveI.

51-71

Authors: Andréa Machado de Almeida Mattos

The aim of this paper is to present the theory of second languageacquisition based on the Universal Grammar (UG) Hypothesis. Atfirst, the main aspects related to the scope of the Generative Theoryare presented, introducing its main ideas. Then, the main points ofthe theory of second language acquisition based on the UG arepresented, considering some controversial issues and its basicproblems. Finally, the paper tries to critically discuss some of thetheory's obscure points, offering alternative solutions and opinions.

83-116

Authors: Vera Lucia de Albuquerque Sant'Anna

This article anaIyses interviews invoIving Brazilian and Argentinianentrepreneurs working within the "MercosuI" economic community.The anaIyses aimed at identifying the means whereby these businesspartners construct their concepts of trust in relation to each other. Byobservingthe strategies used in their spoken discourse, specificallythose of parentheses and paraphrases, in addition to identifyingthe process of conflicting discourse organization, it was possibIe todetect various intepretations for the meaning of trust. ln tum,contradictions were reveaIed between discourse organization whichought not to have been present in situation of confrontation in thefirst pIace. The world of "MercosuI" business exchanges, specificallythose invoIving Brazilians and Argentinians, has thus emerged as atarget of attacks which, in tum, ought to be the focus of concern ofthose responsibIe for politicaI and economic decision-making.