Aquisição do plural irregular no português brasileiro: uma abordagem baseada em exemplares

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study on the acquisition of the irregular plural in Brazilian Portuguese, specifically, nouns ending in ão and nouns ending in oral diphthong, as in chapéu e lençol, performed as semi-vowel. Data were collected from children aged from 3 to 12 years old who attended public and private schools in Belo Horizonte (MG, Brazil). The analysis is grounded on the theoretical perspective of Exemplar Models. Results indicated the importance of structural factors linked to factors of use as well as frequency effects of specific patterns. Results also pointed out the importance of age and the type of school in the use of the plural.