An articulatory and acoustic phonetic study of selected consonants in accents of Scottish English. P

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Chirrey, Deborah Ann (1995) An articulatory and acoustic phonetic study
of selected consonants in accents of Scottish English.

PhD thesis

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An Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetic Study of Selected Consonants in
Accents Scottish English
of
Deborah Ann Chirrey
Department of English Language, University of Glasgow
Degree of PhD
September 1995
1
This thesis begins by reviewing the literature pertaining to Scottish English
pronunciation which has been produced since the late-eighteenth century. The work of
authors, such as Sylvester Douglas, Melville Bell, James Murray, James Wilson,
William Grant, Anne McAllister, Jack Aitken and David Abercrombie, is reviewed and
its contribution to our understanding of the nature of Scottish English pronunciation is
assessed.
The methodology and findings of the present study are then presented. The
data is gathered from speakers from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen and it centres
around their pronunciation of /r, 1, w/ and /nn/ and their voice onset times for voiceless
plosives. Certain discrepancies are noted between the description of these features in
the existing literature and the realisations produced by the speakers informing the
present study.
The articulatory nature and acoustic characteristics of all allophones of /r, 1, w/
and /nn/ are described. Moreover, their incidence in all phonotactic contexts is set out.
Hitherto unattested realisations (such as 41 for In, and [ul] for /l/) are noted and
discussed at length. The lexical incidence of /w/ and /M/ is investigated and a sound
change is observed. Voice onset times of /p, t/ and /k/ are measured in #CV and #CCV
position. Statistical analysis finds no demographic difference in VOT values, but
consistent significant differences emerge between the phonemic environments.
Finally, it is argued that the gulf that exists between the literature pertaining to
Scottish English pronunciation and the results of the present study is indicative of the
English
state of our knowledge of the phonetic characteristics of most accents.
Consequently, a case is made for the renaissance of phonetic investigation into all
English accents.
ii
I would like to thank Dr MKC MacMahon, my supervisor, for his constant
help and encouragement. His scholarly advice and insightful and constructive
criticism of my work have been invaluable. Moreover, his enthusiasm for the
subject has been unfailing.
My debt to my parents is immeasurable. Their constant emotional, practical
and financial support has been of tremendous help to me over many years of
studying.
I would also like to thank Stephen Revell for his endless interest, patience
and encouragement, not to mention the hours he has spent with me in discussion of
Scottish English pronunciation.
I would like to acknowledge the contribution and the co-operation of the
twenty-one anonymous individuals who took part in the pilot-study and in the main
lists, lists
study. Without their patient reading of word sentence and reading
passages nothing would have been possible.
Many other people have assisted me in diverse ways. Among them is Jean
Anderson, manager of the STELLA Laboratory at Glasgow University. To her,
and to all others, I extend my grateful thanks.
The errors within the text are entirely my responsibility.
This thesis is dedicated to my parents.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction and aims of the thesis I
1.0 Introduction. 1
1.1 Scottish English 1
1.1.1 Why should ScE be studied? 3
1.1.2 Why a phonetic study? 4
1.1.3 The choice of consonants 5
1.1.4 The choice of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh 6
1.2 The aims of the thesis 7
1.3 An overview of the structure of the thesis 8
Chapter 2 A review of previous phonetic descriptions of ScE accents 12
2.0 Introduction 12
2.1 Questions of terminology and linguistic variety 13
2.1.1 The diversity of nomenclature 13
2.1.2 Scots and Scottish English 15
2.1.2.1 Scots 15
2.1.2.1.1 The decline of Scots 16
2.1.2.1.2 The anglicisation of Scots 17
2.1.2.2 Scottish English 18
2.1.2.3 Scots and Scottish English - how different are they? 20
2.1.2.4 Different language varieties? 21
2.1.3 Distinguishing between Scots and Scottish English accents 22
2.1.4 Summary and conclusion 23
2.2 The eighteenth century 24
2.3 The nineteenth century 25
2.3.1 Alexander Melville Bell: 1819-1905 26
2.3.1.1 The data 27
2.3.2 Henry Sweet: 1845-1912 29
2.3.2.1 The data 30
2.3.3 James AH Murray: 1837-1915 31
2.3.3.1 Sources 32
2.3.3.2 The accent 34
2.3.3.3 The data 34
2.3.4 Alexander J Ellis: 1814-1890 35
2.3.4.1 The data 37
iv
2.3.5 TB Sprague 38
2.3.5.1 Segmental features 39
2.3.5.1.1 Systemic differences 39
2.3.5.1.2 Selectional differences 40
2.3.5.1.3 Realisational differences 40
2.3.5.1.4 Suprasegmental features 40
2.3.6 Evaluation 42
2.3.7 Conclusion 43
2.4 The twentieth century 44
2.4.1 Segmental features 44
2.4.1.1 Methods of data collection 45
2.4.1.2 Types of informants 47
2.4.1.3 The geographical spread 49
2.4.1.4 The type of data collected 50
2.4.1.5 Methods of analysis 52
2.4.1.6 Purpose of survey or analysis 53
2.4.1.7 Methods of presentation 53
2.4.1.8 Conclusion 54
2.4.2 Suprasegmental features 55
2.4.2.1 Intonation 55
2.4.2.1.1 Twentieth-century analyses compared with nineteenth-century 56
analyses
2.4.2.2 Voice quality 57
2.4.2.3 Conclusion 58
2.5 Summary 59
Chapter 3 Methodology 61
3.0 Introduction 61
3.1 Sample sizes and statistical representation 61
3.1.1 Variation within the speaker 61
3.1.1.1 Speaker variation within this sample 62
3.1.2 Variation within speakers 63
3.1.2.1 Characteristics of the individual: age and sex 64
3.1.2.2 Membership of groups 64
3.1.2.3 Taking account of speaker variation in Scotland 65
3.1.2.4 Implications for this survey 65
3.2 Choice 67
of speaker
3.2.1 Speaker labels 67
reference
V
3.3 Elicitation of the data 68
3.3.1 The reading passage 69
3.3.2 The sentence list 69
3.3.3 The subsidiary word list 70
3.3.4 Selecting the contexts 70
3.3.5 Selecting the words 71
3.3.6 The presentation of the sentence fist, word list and reading 72
passage
3.4 Recording techniques 72
3.5 The storage of the data 72
3.6 The analysis of the data 73
3.6.1 The auditory approach 73
3.6.1.1 The limitations of transcription 74
3.6.2 The instrumental approach 75
3.6.2.1. Direct palatography and electropalatography 75
3.6.2.1.1 Practical considerations 75
3.6.2.1.2 Application of(E)PG in this study 76
3.6.2.1.3 Conclusion 78
3.6.2.2 X-ray 78
3.6.2.2.1 X-ray techniques 78
3.6.2.2.2 Application of x-ray techniques in the present research 79
3.6.2.2.2.1 /U realisations 79
3.6.2.2.2.2 /r/ realisations 80
3.6.2.2.2.3 /w/ and /en/ realisations 80
3.6.2.3 The interpretation of (E)PG and x-ray data 80
3.6.2.3.1 The place of x-ray and (E)PG in phonetic research 81
3.6.2.4 Aerometry 83
3.6.2.4.1 Application to this study 83
3.6.2.4.2 Difficulties in the use of aerometry 84
3.6.2.5 Sound spectrography 85
3.6.2.5.1 Applications to this study 87
3.6.2.5.1.1 N realisations 87
3.6.2.5.1.2 /r/ realisations 88
3.6.2.5.1.3 /w/ and /M/ realisations 88
3.6.2.5.1.4 Voice onset times 88
3.6.2.6 Conclusion 88
3.7 Interpretation of the analysis 89
3.8 Conclusion 89
vi
Chapter 4 /r/ realisations in ScE 90
4.0 Introduction 90
4.1 /r/ in Scottish English 90
4.1.1 General descriptions of /r/ in the nineteenth century 90
4.1.1.1 Ellis 90
4.1.1.2 Sweet 91
4.1.1.3 Bell 92
4.1.2 Geographically specific descriptions of /r/ in the nineteenth 92
century
4.1.2.1 Murray: the southern counties 92
4.1.2.2 Sprague: Edinburgh 92
4.1.2.3 Le Maitre Phonetique 93
4 1.3 The twentieth century 93
4.1.3.1 General descriptions of /r/ 93
4.1.3.1.1 Le Maitre Phonetique: General Scottish 93
4.1.3.1.2 McAllister (1938,9`h ed 1963) 94
4.1.3.1.2.1 The "point trill" 94
4.1.3.1.2.2 "Fricatives" 94
4.1.3.1.2.2.1 "Point fricative" 95
96
4.1.3.1.2.3 "Inaccurate" realisations
4.1.3.1.2.3.1 Voiced labio-dental fricative 96
96
4.1.3.1.2.3.2 The "burr"
96
4.1.3.1.2.3.3 "Semi vowels"
4.1.3.1.2.4 Distribution of [r] and [1] in the word 97
4.1.3.1.2.4.1 Initial position #/r/V and #C/r/V 97
97
4.1.3.1.2.4.2 Intervocalic position
4.1.3.1.2.4.3 Word final position V/r/# and V/r/C# 97
97
4.1.3.1.3 Aitken
4.1.4 Descriptions of accents specified by geography 97
4.1.4.1 The north east 97
4.1.4.1.1 Mutschmann 1909 97
4.1.4.1.2 Dieth 1932 98
4.1.4.1.3 Wölck 1965 99
4.1.4.2 The south-east 99
4.1.4.2.1 Speitel 1969 99
4.1.4.2.2 Mather 1973 100
4.1.4.2.3 Romaine 1978 100
4.1.4.3 The south 100
vii
4.1.4.3.1 Wilson 1915
100
4.1.4.3.2 Wilson 1926
101
4.1.4.3.3 Grant & Dixon 1921
101
4.1.4.3.4 Zai 1942
102
4.1.4.3.5 Wettstein 1942
102
4.1.4.4 The west 102
4.1.4.4.1 Williams 1909 102
4.1.4.4.1.1 The trill 103
4.1.4.4.1.2 The "open consonant" 103
4.1.4.4.1.3 The "back r-sound" 103
4.1.4.4.2 Macafee 1983 104
4.1.5 Areas of Gaelic substratum 104
4.1.5.1 Grant 1913 104
4.2.5.2 Grant and Dixon 1921 105
4.1.6 Sociolinguistically specified descriptions 105
4.1.6.1 Grant 1913 105
4.1.6.1.1 "Voiced point trilled" 106
4.1.6.1.2 Tap 106
4.1.6.1.3 Voiced point fricative 106
4.1.6.1.4 "Back or uvular r" 107
4.1.6.2 Grant and Robson 1925 107
4.1.6.2.1 Realisations 107
4.1.6.3 Abercrombie 1957a 108
4.1.6.4 Aitken 1979 108
4.1.7 Summary 108
4.1.8 Conclusion 109
4.2 An auditory and acoustic study of /r/ realisations in present 110
day ScE
4.2.1 The range of realisations 111
4.2.1.1 [. i ] voiced postalveolar approximant 114
4.2.1.1.1 [. i ] acoustic profile 114
4.2.1.2 [ io ] devoiced postalveolar approximant 119
4.2.1.2.1 [. i ] acoustic profile 119
C
4.2.1.3 [y] voiced postalveolar fricative 122
4.2.1.3.1 [y] acoustic profile 122
4.2.1.4 [Y] devoiced postalveolar fricative 126
4.2.1.4.1 [i] acoustic profile 126
4.2.1.5 [c] voiced alveolar tap 126
Vlll
4.2.1.5.1 [r] acoustic profile 126
4.2.1.6 [r] devoiced alveolar tap 134
4.2.1.6.1 [r] acoustic profile 134
4.2.1.7 [ r] voiced alveolar fricative tap 134
1
4.2.1.7.1 [ r] acoustic profile 135
4.2.1.8 [ f] devoiced alveolar fricative tap 139
4.2.1.8.1 [ f] acoustic profile 139
4.2.1.9 [ r] voiced alveolar lowered tap 139
4.2.1.9.1 [ r] acoustic profile 142
4.2.1.10 [i] voiced retroflex approximant 142
4.2.1.10.1 Retroflex approximants and r-coloured vowels 145
4.2.1.10.2 [. J acoustic profile 145
4.2.1.11 [u] voiced labiodental approximant 148
4.2.1.11.1 [u] acoustic profile 148
4.2.1.12 [y] voiced velar fricative 148
4.2.1.12.1 [y] acoustic profile 148
4.2.1.13 Secondary articulations 151
4.2.1.13.1 Labialisation: lip-rounding and lip-protrusion 151
4.2.1.13.1.1 inherent lip-rounding 151
4.2.1.13.1.2 Contextual lip-rounding 152
4.2.1.13.1.3 Types and degrees of lip rounding 152
4.2.1.13.1.4 Lip protrusion 152
4.2.1.13.1.5 Results 153
4.2.1.13.2 Velarisation 153
4.2.2 Realisation by word position and phonemic context 153
4.2.2.1 Initial position 153
4.2.2.1.1 #/r/V 153
4.2.2.1.1.1 Glasgow 153
4.2.2.1.1.2 Edinburgh 154
4.2.2.1.1.3 Aberdeen 154
4.2.2.1.1.4 All regions 154
4.2.2.1.2 #C/rN 154
4.2.2.1.2.1 Glasgow 154
4.2.2.1.2.2 Edinburgh 155
4.2.2.1.2.3 Aberdeen 155
4.2.2.1.2.4 All regions 156
4.2.2.1.2.5 /r/ realisations in initial consonant clusters 156
4.2.2.1.3 #CC/rN 159