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Spectral contrast reduction in Australian English /l/-final rimes
Tünde Szalay1, Titia Benders1, Felicity Cox1
1Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|February 28, 2021
Summary
Vowel sounds in Australian English become less distinct before /l/ sounds, especially in specific word pairs. This acoustic analysis reveals reduced spectral contrast, impacting speech intelligibility.
Area of Science:
- Phonetics and phonology
- Acoustic analysis of speech
- Sociolinguistics
Background:
- Vowel reduction before coda laterals is documented in English varieties.
- Acoustic characteristics of vowel-lateral interaction in Australian English (AusE) rimes remain under-examined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the acoustic properties of vowel-lateral interactions in AusE.
- To compare vowel characteristics before /l/ codas versus obstruent codas.
Main Methods:
- Acoustic analysis of 16 pre-lateral and 16 pre-obstruent vowels from 29 AusE speakers.
- Utilized random forest classification and hierarchical cluster analysis of spectral (DCT coefficients of F1, F2, F3) and temporal (duration) features.
- Quantified acoustic vowel similarity in different coda environments.
Main Results:
- Vowels preceding /l/ codas exhibited greater acoustic confusability than those preceding /d/ codas.
- Significant reduction in spectral contrast was observed for specific AusE rime pairs: /iːl-ɪl/, /ʉːl-ʊl/, /əʉl-ɔl/, and /æɔl-æl/.
- Findings suggest a systematic acoustic effect of coda laterals on preceding vowels.
Conclusions:
- Coda lateral /l/ in AusE demonstrably reduces spectral contrast in preceding vowels.
- This acoustic phenomenon has potential implications for phonological sound change and speech perception.
- Further research into articulatory explanations is warranted.
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