Phonetic convergence to Southern American English: Acoustics and perception

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Phonetics

Background:

• Phonetic convergence, the process of accent adaptation, is known to be selective.
• Social and linguistic factors influence the extent and nature of this convergence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the constraints on phonetic convergence towards Southern American English by non-Southern Americans.
• To examine how different speech imitation instructions affect convergence patterns.

Main Methods:

• A word shadowing task was employed with three between-subject conditions: simple repetition, repetition with a specific regional model, and explicit imitation of the regional model.
• Acoustic analysis measured phonetic features (word duration, vowel fronting, /aɪ/ monophthongization).
• Perceptual assessment evaluated listeners' perception of convergence.

Main Results:

• Significant convergence was observed for word duration and back vowel fronting, but not /aɪ/ monophthongization.
• Convergence occurred regardless of the model talker's regional origin, suggesting non-prestigious varieties are not inherently avoided.
• Explicit imitation led to greater overall convergence than simple repetition, but social selectivity persisted.

Conclusions:

• Phonetic convergence is socially selective, with speakers avoiding highly stereotyped variants.
• Explicit imitation instructions enhance convergence but do not eliminate social selectivity.
• Acoustic and perceptual analyses offer complementary insights into phonetic convergence patterns.