Acoustic correlates of rhythm in New Zealand English

A diachronic study

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12233644
AutoresJacqui Nokes (University of Canterbury, autor correspondente), J Hay (0000-0001-8127-0413, University of Canterbury)
Ano2012
Volume24
Fascículo1
Páginas1-31
Data de publicação2012-03-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoLanguage Variation and Change (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0954-3945 • E-ISSN: 1469-8021
EditoraCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0954394512000051
OpenAlexW2048068389
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas40

This paper reports on a large-scale diachronic investigation into the timing of New Zealand English (NZE), which points to changes in its rhythmic structure. The Pairwise Variability Index (PVI) was used to measure the mean variation in duration, intensity, and pitch of successive vowels in the speech of over 500 New Zealanders, born between 1851 and 1988. Normalized vocalic PVIs for duration have reduced over time, after allowing for changes in speech rate, supporting existing findings that stressed and unstressed vowels are less differentiated by duration in modern NZE than in other varieties of English. Rhythmically, syllable duration may be playing a reduced role in signalling prominence in NZE. This is supported by the finding that there have been contemporaneous changes in pitch and intensity variation. We discuss external and internal influences on the timing of NZE, including contact with Māori, the emergence of Māori English, and diachronic vowel shift

Aesthetics · Art · Cartography · Duration (music · Geography · Linguistics · Literature · Rhythm · Scale (ratio · Syllable · Variation (astronomy · Varieties of English · Vowel · History · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation