Some Phonological Tendencies of the Deep South: Phonetic Transcriptions and the Computer Assistance Provided Today in Acoustics

Abstract

This study presents the general tendencies of the Black-American dialect spoken in Athens, Georgia. The particular problems investigated include consonant cluster reduction, the velarization of /l/ in word-medial and its release in word-final positions, nasalized vowels, the glottal stop in word-final position, and phoneme fluctuations. The latter tendency is emphasized. One of the fluctuations presented concerns the alternation between the two phonemes / / and / / in words like usher, pronounced both [ ] and [ ] by the same individual. Although both phonemes are distinct, no new meanings arise from their alternation in identical environments.