Northwest dialect-creaky voice

[Dennis R. Preston]

In our work in southeastern Michigan, we have tentaitvely conclued
that the  more creaky voice (in women), the more advancement in the
Northern Cities Shift. We think there is no cause and effect between
the two, but that they are both related to gender, class, and
perhgpas even more individualistic characteristics of identity.

dInIs



>The Seattle-Post Intelligencer article on NW dialect makes the claim that
>creaky voice is used in the NW to compensate for a lost vowel !
>(The cot-caught
>merger).   I've been dealing with creaky voice in my classes for years when
>oral presentations are given and among actors in NJ.  I never thought of it as
>being a regional feature, but I do think it's more common among women, though
>not limited to them. Does anyone know more about this?  I heard
>Natalie Portman
>on Live at the Actor's Studio and in the movie Garden State, and she speaks
>this way a lot.
>
>Dale Coye
>Wilton,NH


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages
A-740 Wells Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 432-3099
Fax: (517) 432-2736
preston at msu.edu