29.1859, Diss: English; Phonetics, Phonology, Sociolinguistics: D. Sky Onosson: ''An acoustic study of diphthong-raising in three dialects of North American English''

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LINGUIST List: Vol-29-1859. Wed May 02 2018. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 29.1859, Diss: English; Phonetics, Phonology, Sociolinguistics: D. Sky Onosson: ''An acoustic study of diphthong-raising in three dialects of North American English''

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Date: Wed, 02 May 2018 12:08:41
From: D. Onosson [sky at onosson.com]
Subject: An acoustic study of diphthong-raising in three dialects of North American English

 
Institution: University of Victoria 
Program: Department of Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2018 

Author: D. Sky Onosson

Dissertation Title: An acoustic study of diphthong-raising in three dialects of 
North American English 

Linguistic Field(s): Phonetics
                     Phonology
                     Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)


Dissertation Director(s):
Alexandra D'Arcy
Sonya Bird
Josef Fruehwald

Dissertation Abstract:

“Canadian Raising” (CR) is a phonological process typical of Canadian English,
defined as the production of /aj, aw/ with raised nuclei before voiceless
codas, e.g. in about. This dissertation investigates the relationship between
CR and another process which abbreviates vowels in the same phonological
context in most English dialects: pre-voiceless vowel abbreviation (PVVA).
This study sampled three North American dialects: Canada, and the American
West and North. Comparisons of vowel duration and formant trajectories
revealed common patterns and specific differences between these dialects
related to both CR and PVVA. Comparisons of vowel formant trajectories were
conducted using statistical techniques for comparing curvilinear datasets,
employed in novel methodology which utilizes multiple models of time-scaling.
Results indicate that the allophonic production of /aw/ differs in Canadian
English in relation to the other dialects, while /aj/ follows a common pattern
in all three. I argue that PVVA is achieved through the gestural
reorganization of vowels preceding voiceless coda, with the dynamic nature of
diphthongs making possible several patterns of abbreviation, two of which are
attested in these data: truncation of the onset i.e. the diphthongal nucleus,
and compression of the overall trajectory; truncation of the offset is also
attested for some monophthongs. Differences in selection of which of these
abbrevatory patterns applies to /aw/ in Canadian English versus other dialects
accounts for the observed differences in phonetic output. These results
indicate that it is worth reconsidering several aspects of the current
conception of CR, as follows. First, diphthong-raising processes can be
directly linked to the more common process of vowel abbreviation, with
consideration of how diphthongal gestures are organized, and reorganized in
relation to post-vocalic voicing gestures. Second, that /aw/-raising appears
to be distinctly Canadian. And third, that /aj/-raising is not specifically
Canadian, suggesting that the two terms be described and named distinctly.
This dissertation contributes to the literature on sociophonetics in two major
ways: by indicating how CR is directly connected to PVVA in contemporary
speech, beyond their surmised historical connections; and, by developing novel
methodology for the analysis of dynamic formant trajectories, involving
comparison of different time-scaling methods.




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