Durational cues to place and voicing contrasts in Australian English word-initial stops

Julien Millasseau, Laurence Bruggeman, Ivan Yuen, Katherine Demuth

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

Abstract

This study examined the durational characteristics of word-initial voicing and place of articulation (PoA) contrasts in Australian English-speaking adults, providing the first comprehensive study of this kind. Voice onset time (VOT) and closure duration (CD) for /b, d, g, p, t, k/ were measured in word-initial position of CVC words. The results showed that voiced stops have a short VOT and a long CD, while voiceless stops show the opposite pattern. In addition, the results showed that VOT alone failed to contrast /t/-/k/, and CD failed to contrast /d/-/g/. This might be related to the difficulty of maintaining appropriate aerodynamic conditions for voicing and distinguishing alveolars from velars. The results suggest that there is a trading relationship between VOT and CD, and that both cues are necessary in Australian English to contrast for all oral stop contrasts.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 19th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2019), 5-9 August 2019, Melbourne, Australia
PublisherAustralasian Speech Science and Technology
Pages3759-3762
Number of pages4
ISBN (Print)9780646800691
Publication statusPublished - 2019
EventInternational Congress of Phonetic Sciences -
Duration: 5 Aug 2019 → …

Conference

ConferenceInternational Congress of Phonetic Sciences
Period5/08/19 → …

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