A Preliminary Report on a Study of the Acoustic Effects of Variants of /l/ on Preceding Vowels

Abstract

This paper reports on the preliminary findings of the effects of variants of /l/ on the formant structure of preceding vowels. A description of the results of an auditory study is followed by an acoustic analysis of the formant frequencies of preceding vowels [i:, I, u:, u, æ, a]. A sample of speakers from three dialect areas of Newfoundland was chosen. These speakers reflect the British, Irish, or mixed British/Irish heritage of their communities and the clear or dark variant of /l/ associated with that heritage.