Comparing Accents of English PDF

Comparing accents of English Suprasegmental Phonology of English and Dialectology II Contents 01 Introduction 02 Systemic differences 03 Distributional differences Contents 04 Lexical-incidential differences 05 Realisational differences 06 Exercise ...

Comparing accents of English Suprasegmental Phonology of English and Dialectology II Contents 01 Introduction 02 Systemic differences 03 Distributional differences Contents 04 Lexical-incidential differences 05 Realisational differences 06 Exercise  01 Introduction Accents can be compared in structural terms by looking at how they differ phonetically and phonologically. Introduction When phonologists compare accents, they primarily focus on analysing the elements of the phonological systems. Such work involves a detailed comparison of the inventories of phonemes, which include vowels and consonants. Additionally, they explore other aspects such as the phonological contexts in which sounds appear, the constraints for their occurrence (the phonotactics), their variations in realisation (allophony), the frequency of their occurrence in specific lexical items or lexical distribution (e.g., /ð/ or /v/ in words like 'brother'), and their intonation patterns. Such detailed analysis allows for a comprehensive description of any given accent and an account of similarities and differences among accents of the same language. Introduction This presentation focuses on four differences used to compare accents: Systemic differences found by comparing phonemic systems. Distributional differences. These are found by comparing the phonotactic distribution of sounds. In other words, the position in which sounds occur or do not occur. Realisational differences. These are found by examining the variation in the phonetic realisation or articulation of sounds, i.e. allophones used in the same contexts. Lexical-incidential differences. This refers to the sounds "preferred" by speakers in particular words.  02 Systemic differences  Systemic differences The number of phonemes is different in the accents being compared. One accent may have more or less phonemes or than another. Another way of explaining it is that there are phonemic contrasts in one accent that are not present in another. For example, American English does not have the GB LOT vowel. /ɒ/ is not part of the phonemic inventory of GA vowel sounds. in American English, LOT words are pronounced with /ɑ/.  Systemic differences SSE has only one phoneme for GB FOOT and GOOSE: /u/ *. In Northern English in England, the FOOT-STRUT distinction is not present. So and *do not contrast. The STRUT vowel is not part of the inventory of phonemes of Northern English vowels. Standard Scottish English and New Zeland English have a contrast between /w/ and /ʍ/ in and where wh-words are pronounced with the voiceless labiovelar approximant /ʍ/. GB does not have this phonemic contrast.  03 Distributional differences  Distributional differences The systems may be the same, but the phonological contexts in which certain sounds appear differ. In other words, the phonotactics of the accents restrict or allow specific phonemes in the same contexts. The distribution of /r/ is limited to the pre-vocalic position in GB, Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English, and other non-rhotic accents. The same sound appears in all contexts in SSE, English in Barbados, American English, and other rhotic accents. There are also semi-rhotic accents, such as Jamaican English.  Distributional differences The /j/ sound (yod) in American English does not occur before /u/, but it does in GB in words like. The American English phonotactics restricts (constraints) alveolar consonants +/j/ from appearing before /u/.  04 Lexical-incidential differences  Lexical-incidential differences Speakers of different accents use different vowel phonemes in the same words or groups of words.For example, words like ( BATH set) have the /a/ vowel in the accents of Northern English in England, whereas in Southern accents of English in England like GB and Cockney, those words have the /ɑː/ vowel. This will happen with other words ending in the voiceless fricatives /s/, /θ/, /f/ or ending in the voiced alveolar nasal followed by /s/.  05 Realizational differences  Realisational differences Accents with the same phoneme or phonemes in their systems present different phonetic realisations (allophones) in the same phonological contexts. For example, the GOAT vowel is a monophthong in Scottish English /o/ and a diphthong in GB and in most American English accents: /əʊ/ and /oʊ/, respectively.  Realisational differences The realisation of /l/ in GB is clear [l] before vowels but dark [ɫ] before consonants or pre-pausally. In Irish English and Welsh English,/l/ is mostly clear, and in SSE and GA, it is velarised (dark [ɫ]). /p/ is aspirated in most English accents when found in stressed position but unaspirated in Lancashire, South African English, and most Indian English.  06 Exercise Read the comparative situation between accents and tell what kind of difference it referred to.  Exercise Identify which difference is being referred to in each case 1. In accent A, belongs to the THOUGHT set; in accent B, the same word belongs to the LOT set. Boths accents have the THOUGHT and LOT vowels. LEXICAL INCIDENTIAL DIFFERENCE 2. In accent C, and sound identical, as do and and all other LOT-TRAP pairs. There is no contrast in LOT-TRAP pairs ; in accent D, they are contrastive in pronunciation. SYSTEMIC DIFFERENCE Adapted from https://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/x202info.htm  Exercise Identify which difference is being referred to in each case 3. In accent E /l/ is always clear. In accent F it is clear before vowels, but dark elsewhere. REALISATIONAL DIFFERENCE 4. in accent G is pronounced /a/ before voiceless fricatives in accent H the same letter in the same words is pronounced with /ɑː/. LEXICAL-INCIDENTIAL DIFFERENCE Adapted from https://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/x202info.htm  Exercise Identify which difference is being referred to in each case 5. What kind of difference is the vocalization of [ɫ]? REALISATIONAL DIFFERENCE 6. Accent I has the distinction /w/-/ʍ/ in - not present in accent J where both words are pronounced with /w/. SYSTEMIC DIFFERENCE  Exercise Identify which difference is being referred to in each case 7. In GB T-glottalisation occurs preconsonantally (except before /l/) and in absolute final position. In Estuary English it also occurs intervocalically. DISTRIBUTIONAL DIFFERENCE  Recap In order to compare accents, 4 types of differences are considered: systemic, distributional, lexical-incidential, and realisational. If accents differ systemically, they do not have the same repertoire of phonemes. The phonological systems do not have the same number of phonemes. Distributional differences have to do with where (the phonological context) a certain phoneme or allophone is pronounced. A phoneme may appear in deferent phonological contexts in different accents. If the same set of words has a different vowel, then we have a lexical- incidential deference. Different allophones used in the same contexts indicate realisational  references Collins, B. and Mees, I. (2013). Practical Phonetics and Phonology: a resource book for students. (3rd ed.). Routledge. Cruttenden A. (2014). Gimson’s Pronunciation of English. (8th ed.).Routledge. MacMahon, A. (2020). An Introduction to English Phonology. (2nd ed.)Edinburgh University Press. Wells, J. C. (1982). Accents of English. Cambridge University Press. next The Accent of General American English