This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a... more This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a major intonational innovation now attested in numerous dialects of English worldwide. Based on a corpus containing recordings of different geographical varieties of contemporary English, it presents an inventory of the intonation patterns used to realize the HRT. It also suggests that late rising could prove a useful discriminatory criterion to distinguish HRTs from the rises traditionally observed on declaratives in Northern British varieties of English (Urban North British Intonation). Some concluding remarks are made on the syntactic structure of the segments with which the High Rising Terminal is associated.
The emergence of the so-called High Rising Terminal (HRT) or ‘uptalk’ – that is the use of rising... more The emergence of the so-called High Rising Terminal (HRT) or ‘uptalk’ – that is the use of rising intonation at the end of declarative utterances – is a major contemporary prosodic phenomenon that has been reported in numerous varieties of English worldwide (see for example Lakoff 1975; Ching 1982; Guy & Vonwiller 1984; Guy et al. 1986; Allan 1990; McLemore 1991; Britain 1992a, 1992b; Bradford 1997; Cruttenden 1997; Cheng & Warren 2005; Ladd 1996, 2008; Barry 2007; Liberman 2008; Sullivan 2010). The pragmatic function of the HRT is analysed in many different ways, and there is considerable variation in the descriptions of the speech segments in which it occurs. Besides, some authors (e.g. Hirschberg & Ward 1995, Ladd 1996, Fletcher et al. 2005, Liberman 2006b) insist that the name ‘High Rising Terminal’ implies that the intonation contours favoured by ‘uptalkers’ are mainly high-rises, i.e. rising nuclear tones which start relatively high in the speakers’ pitch range and end at a ve...
Actes du XVIe colloque de Villetaneuse sur l'anglais oral, 2015
A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical vari... more A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical varieties of British English (e.g. Trudgill 1982; Foulkes and Docherty 1999; Britain 2002; Kerswill 2003; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004, 2006). In the past decades, this phenomenon seems to have been accelerated by increasing social and geographical mobility (e.g. Kerswill 2001, 2006; Britain 2002; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004). Based on a corpus mainly consisting of several hours of spontaneous interaction between native NW Yorkshire speakers divided into different age groups, this paper identifies and analyses a number of segmental and suprasegmental innovations observed in apparent time in both urban and rural settings. It discusses the sociolinguistic motivation behind some of these innovations and addresses the question of whether the same factors and principles operate in suprasegmental change – especially in the fields of intonation and voice quality – as in the diffusion of non-traditional se...
The category of pronouns, which admittedly includes several heterogeneous subcategories, is notor... more The category of pronouns, which admittedly includes several heterogeneous subcategories, is notoriously difficult to delineate. This corpus-based article examines the phonetic and phonological characteristics of various types of pronouns in a spoken discourse context in order to identify their shared definitional traits. Two intertwined though distinct phonological phenomena, i.e. reduction and sentence-level stress, enable us to highlight some of the links between the phonetic form of pronouns and their semantic value. We then extract a number of general principles from our observations. For instance, we posit the existence of two main phonological kinds of pronouns – strong and weak – and suggest that their phonetic weight is closely correlated to their level of referentiality. We also hypothesise that there ultimately exists a close link between the phonetic bulk of pronouns and the mental accessibility of their referents.
There is no consensual definition of anaphora. Some see it as the use of a term that refers back ... more There is no consensual definition of anaphora. Some see it as the use of a term that refers back to a textual unit whereas others consider that it essentially consists in a mental representation derived from linguistic or nonlinguistic discoursal elements. Be this as it may, anaphora is usually signalled by the presence of specific markers which contribute to the construction of anaphoric references. This paper examines a number of phenomena observed in connection with the phonetic and phonological realisation of anaphoric markers at both segmental and suprasegmental level. It highlights the close relationship between deixis and anaphora and shows that a number of phonological elements often combine with grammatical markers in constructing anaphoric references. This article eventually demonstrates that some differences observed at prosodic level constitute markers of discursive continuity or discontinuity, and suggests that a number of phonetic elements signal varying degrees of recoverability or mental accessibility of the anaphoric referent.
English-Speaking Towns and Cities: Memoirs and Narratives. Edited by Olivier GLAIN ; Presses universitaires de Saint-Étienne ; ISBN 978-2-86272-734-9, 2020
This paper deals with the functions of voice quality. It also suggests that a number of practic... more This paper deals with the functions of voice quality. It also suggests that a number of practical applications can be derived from the study of these functions. Like e.g. Laver (1968; 1980), Sharpe (1970) or Mackenzie-Beck (2005), we take voice quality to refer to the quality of the human voice in the production of language that results from both phonatory (laryngeal) and articulatory (supralaryngeal) adjustments. We also think that voice quality should be included among suprasegmental elements insofar as phonatory and articulatory settings, when conceived of as components of voice quality, fulfil a function that is superposed to that of the phonatory and articulatory components of any acoustic realisation of the English phonemes. We first survey the main types of voice quality. We then show that, in British English, some of these voice types can fulfil not only linguistic or paralinguistic functions, but also, most importantly, an extralinguistic function. On a sociolinguistic level, we give evidence that, in some cases at least, voice quality constitutes a reliable marker of geographical or social origins. We suggest that, like segmental elements or intonation features, the use of voice quality settings can spread through processes of social or geographical diffusion. Lastly, we point out that the study of voice quality may prove useful in a wide variety of domains such as forensic linguistics, voice recognition, speech synthesis and, crucially, EFL teaching.
Based on a corpus made up of recordings from Tennessee Williams’s play, A Streetcar Named Desir... more Based on a corpus made up of recordings from Tennessee Williams’s play, A Streetcar Named Desire, this article investigates the phonology of exclamative utterances. It points out that the main characteristic phonological traits of exclamations are essentially suprasegmental and are to be observed at intonational level. After identifying some of the recurring characteristics of the intonation patterns used in exclamative utterances and showing that these can be explained by the fact that intonation is iconic and semantically motivated, this paper highlights the links between exclamation intonation and the expression of degree. Reflecting on the delimitative function of intonation and the illocutionary value of exclamations, it also suggests that the study of exclamative intonation sheds useful light on the nature of speech acts in spoken interactions.
Hélie, C. Brault-Dreux, E., Loriaux, E. (eds). No Dialect, Please, You’re a Poet: English Dialect in Poetry in the 20th and 21st Centuries (Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature). New York/Oxon, Routledge: chapter 8., 2019
This chapter examines Ian McMillan’s reading of his poem “Canal Life” in what he calls his “fruit... more This chapter examines Ian McMillan’s reading of his poem “Canal Life” in what he calls his “fruity Yorkshire brogue.” It focuses on the phonetic and phonological specificities of Yorkshire speech and traces them back to their historical origins. Traditional characteristics of Northern accents—like the FOOT-STRUT split or the TRAP-BATH distinction—are taken into account as well as a number of more specific Yorkshire features, both vocalic and consonantal. Besides, it is argued that the distinctiveness of McMillan’s accent is not only due to his consistent use of a number of identifiable Yorkshire phonetic variants, but equally to his adopting a particular articulatory setting and specific intonation patterns. In a parallel line of inquiry, this paper comments on Ian McMillan’s iconic use of rhythm, sonority, and structure to conjure up images of slowly moving water and show in what ways the distinctive characteristics of Yorkshire speech contribute to the evocative power of the piece. Some of McMillan’s speech characteristics raise the issues of dialect levelling and innovation diffusion, two key concepts in sociolinguistics. These are briefly explained and applied to the poet’s elocution as well as to the message conveyed by his poetry.
From a grammatical and lexical point of view, the variety of English spoken in the Outer Hebrides... more From a grammatical and lexical point of view, the variety of English spoken in the Outer Hebrides is akin to Standard Scottish English (SSE). From a phonetic and phonological point of view, however, it is absolutely distinctive, mainly because of the influence and interference of Scottish Gaelic.
Based on two corpora composed of recordings of speakers from Lewis and Harris as well as on informal observations collected in the Outer Hebrides during the past sixteen years, this paper identifies and describes the most salient traits of traditional Hebridean accents, be they segmental or prosodic.
A brief examination of the speech of Hebridean adolescents highlights several changes in progress. These are to be traced both from the diffusion of individual phonetic innovations and from the attrition of marked variants – a phenomenon known as dialect levelling. These changes seem to be facilitated both by the decline of the Gaelic language and by the rejection of the traditional Hebridean values by a number of young speakers. Using data collected from adolescents as well as informal observations, we try to identify some of the most prominent changes that affect the accents of Lewis and Harris in apparent time.
A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical vari... more A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical varieties of British English (e.g. Trudgill 1986 ; Foulkes & Docherty 1999 ; Britain 2002b ; Kerswill 2003 ; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004, 2007). This phenomenon seems to have been accelerated in the past decades by increasing social and geographical mobility (e.g. Kerswill 2003 ; Britain 2002a, 2002b ; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004). Based on a corpus mainly composed of recordings of spontaneous conversations between native North West Yorkshire (NW Yorkshire) speakers divided into age groups, this paper identifies and analyses a number of segmental and suprasegmental innovations observed in apparent time in both urban and rural settings. It discusses the sociolinguistic motivation behind some of these innovations and addresses the question of whether the same factors and principles operate in suprasegmental change – especially in the fields of intonation and voice quality – as in the diffusion of non-traditional segmental phonetic/phonological features. It also tackles the nature and status of diffusing intonational patterns such as the innovative use of rising tones in association with statements. The semantic/pragmatic value of these patterns is taken into consideration as well as that of a number of articulatory and phonatory adjustments characterising adolescent speech. It is suggested that the changes observed occur as a result of koineisation and supralocalisation processes (Siegel 1985 ; Kerswill and Williams 2000 ; Britain 2005, 2009), and that they testify to the emergence of new supralocal dialect areas in the north of England.
Glain, O., Jobert, M. (eds.). Phonologies de l'anglais : théories et applications. Limoges : Editions Lambert Lucas. , 2018
Le High Rising Terminal – ou HRT– est un ton ascendant employé de manière non traditionnelle en f... more Le High Rising Terminal – ou HRT– est un ton ascendant employé de manière non traditionnelle en fin d’énoncé déclaratif. Pour le décrire, on a parfois évoqué un emploi de l’« intonation des questions » sur des énoncés assertifs (Ching 1982 ; Britain 1992). Depuis quelques décennies, le HRT est observé dans de multiples variétés d’anglais (Lakoff 1975 ; Ching 1982 ; Guy &Vonwiller 1984 ; Allan 1990 ; McLemore 1991 ; Britain 1992 ; Bradford 1997 ; Cruttenden 1997 ; Ladd 1996 ; Barry 2007 ; Liberman 2008 ; Sullivan 2010). Comme d’autres innovations recensées en anglais contemporain, il est particulièrement saillant (Foulkes&Docherty 2007) et a par conséquent suscité l’intérêt des médias, qui attribuent fréquemment sa progression à l’influence des feuilletons télévisés australiens. Nous nous intéressons ici à la forme des mélodies employées pour réaliser le High Rising Terminal en anglais contemporain et nous interrogeons sur les implications de nos investigations sur la définition du phénomène. À partir d’un corpus oral, nous dressons en premier lieu une typologie des contours mélodiques régulièrement employés pour réaliser le HRT dans diverses variétés d’anglais. Nous examinons ensuite plusieurs contours marginaux et la délimitation non canonique de certains segments de discours sur lesquels le HRT est observé. Dans la discussion qui suit, nous réfléchissons aux implications définitoires et aux éventuelles répercussions phonologiques de nos observations et nous nous interrogeons sur la nature des critères de différentiation ente les HRT et les tons ascendants traditionnellement observés en fin d’énoncé déclaratif dans le nord des îles Britanniques.
This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a... more This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a major intonational innovation now attested in numerous dialects of English worldwide. Based on a corpus containing recordings of different geographical varieties of contemporary English, it presents an inventory of the intonation patterns used to realize the HRT. It also suggests that late rising could prove a useful discriminatory criterion to distinguish HRTs from the rises traditionally observed on declaratives in Northern British varieties of English (Urban North British Intonation). Some concluding remarks are made on the syntactic structure of the segments with which the High Rising Terminal is associated.
This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a... more This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a major intonational innovation now attested in numerous dialects of English worldwide. Based on a corpus containing recordings of different geographical varieties of contemporary English, it presents an inventory of the intonation patterns used to realize the HRT. It also suggests that late rising could prove a useful discriminatory criterion to distinguish HRTs from the rises traditionally observed on declaratives in Northern British varieties of English (Urban North British Intonation). Some concluding remarks are made on the syntactic structure of the segments with which the High Rising Terminal is associated.
The emergence of the so-called High Rising Terminal (HRT) or ‘uptalk’ – that is the use of rising... more The emergence of the so-called High Rising Terminal (HRT) or ‘uptalk’ – that is the use of rising intonation at the end of declarative utterances – is a major contemporary prosodic phenomenon that has been reported in numerous varieties of English worldwide (see for example Lakoff 1975; Ching 1982; Guy & Vonwiller 1984; Guy et al. 1986; Allan 1990; McLemore 1991; Britain 1992a, 1992b; Bradford 1997; Cruttenden 1997; Cheng & Warren 2005; Ladd 1996, 2008; Barry 2007; Liberman 2008; Sullivan 2010). The pragmatic function of the HRT is analysed in many different ways, and there is considerable variation in the descriptions of the speech segments in which it occurs. Besides, some authors (e.g. Hirschberg & Ward 1995, Ladd 1996, Fletcher et al. 2005, Liberman 2006b) insist that the name ‘High Rising Terminal’ implies that the intonation contours favoured by ‘uptalkers’ are mainly high-rises, i.e. rising nuclear tones which start relatively high in the speakers’ pitch range and end at a ve...
Actes du XVIe colloque de Villetaneuse sur l'anglais oral, 2015
A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical vari... more A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical varieties of British English (e.g. Trudgill 1982; Foulkes and Docherty 1999; Britain 2002; Kerswill 2003; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004, 2006). In the past decades, this phenomenon seems to have been accelerated by increasing social and geographical mobility (e.g. Kerswill 2001, 2006; Britain 2002; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004). Based on a corpus mainly consisting of several hours of spontaneous interaction between native NW Yorkshire speakers divided into different age groups, this paper identifies and analyses a number of segmental and suprasegmental innovations observed in apparent time in both urban and rural settings. It discusses the sociolinguistic motivation behind some of these innovations and addresses the question of whether the same factors and principles operate in suprasegmental change – especially in the fields of intonation and voice quality – as in the diffusion of non-traditional se...
The category of pronouns, which admittedly includes several heterogeneous subcategories, is notor... more The category of pronouns, which admittedly includes several heterogeneous subcategories, is notoriously difficult to delineate. This corpus-based article examines the phonetic and phonological characteristics of various types of pronouns in a spoken discourse context in order to identify their shared definitional traits. Two intertwined though distinct phonological phenomena, i.e. reduction and sentence-level stress, enable us to highlight some of the links between the phonetic form of pronouns and their semantic value. We then extract a number of general principles from our observations. For instance, we posit the existence of two main phonological kinds of pronouns – strong and weak – and suggest that their phonetic weight is closely correlated to their level of referentiality. We also hypothesise that there ultimately exists a close link between the phonetic bulk of pronouns and the mental accessibility of their referents.
There is no consensual definition of anaphora. Some see it as the use of a term that refers back ... more There is no consensual definition of anaphora. Some see it as the use of a term that refers back to a textual unit whereas others consider that it essentially consists in a mental representation derived from linguistic or nonlinguistic discoursal elements. Be this as it may, anaphora is usually signalled by the presence of specific markers which contribute to the construction of anaphoric references. This paper examines a number of phenomena observed in connection with the phonetic and phonological realisation of anaphoric markers at both segmental and suprasegmental level. It highlights the close relationship between deixis and anaphora and shows that a number of phonological elements often combine with grammatical markers in constructing anaphoric references. This article eventually demonstrates that some differences observed at prosodic level constitute markers of discursive continuity or discontinuity, and suggests that a number of phonetic elements signal varying degrees of recoverability or mental accessibility of the anaphoric referent.
English-Speaking Towns and Cities: Memoirs and Narratives. Edited by Olivier GLAIN ; Presses universitaires de Saint-Étienne ; ISBN 978-2-86272-734-9, 2020
This paper deals with the functions of voice quality. It also suggests that a number of practic... more This paper deals with the functions of voice quality. It also suggests that a number of practical applications can be derived from the study of these functions. Like e.g. Laver (1968; 1980), Sharpe (1970) or Mackenzie-Beck (2005), we take voice quality to refer to the quality of the human voice in the production of language that results from both phonatory (laryngeal) and articulatory (supralaryngeal) adjustments. We also think that voice quality should be included among suprasegmental elements insofar as phonatory and articulatory settings, when conceived of as components of voice quality, fulfil a function that is superposed to that of the phonatory and articulatory components of any acoustic realisation of the English phonemes. We first survey the main types of voice quality. We then show that, in British English, some of these voice types can fulfil not only linguistic or paralinguistic functions, but also, most importantly, an extralinguistic function. On a sociolinguistic level, we give evidence that, in some cases at least, voice quality constitutes a reliable marker of geographical or social origins. We suggest that, like segmental elements or intonation features, the use of voice quality settings can spread through processes of social or geographical diffusion. Lastly, we point out that the study of voice quality may prove useful in a wide variety of domains such as forensic linguistics, voice recognition, speech synthesis and, crucially, EFL teaching.
Based on a corpus made up of recordings from Tennessee Williams’s play, A Streetcar Named Desir... more Based on a corpus made up of recordings from Tennessee Williams’s play, A Streetcar Named Desire, this article investigates the phonology of exclamative utterances. It points out that the main characteristic phonological traits of exclamations are essentially suprasegmental and are to be observed at intonational level. After identifying some of the recurring characteristics of the intonation patterns used in exclamative utterances and showing that these can be explained by the fact that intonation is iconic and semantically motivated, this paper highlights the links between exclamation intonation and the expression of degree. Reflecting on the delimitative function of intonation and the illocutionary value of exclamations, it also suggests that the study of exclamative intonation sheds useful light on the nature of speech acts in spoken interactions.
Hélie, C. Brault-Dreux, E., Loriaux, E. (eds). No Dialect, Please, You’re a Poet: English Dialect in Poetry in the 20th and 21st Centuries (Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature). New York/Oxon, Routledge: chapter 8., 2019
This chapter examines Ian McMillan’s reading of his poem “Canal Life” in what he calls his “fruit... more This chapter examines Ian McMillan’s reading of his poem “Canal Life” in what he calls his “fruity Yorkshire brogue.” It focuses on the phonetic and phonological specificities of Yorkshire speech and traces them back to their historical origins. Traditional characteristics of Northern accents—like the FOOT-STRUT split or the TRAP-BATH distinction—are taken into account as well as a number of more specific Yorkshire features, both vocalic and consonantal. Besides, it is argued that the distinctiveness of McMillan’s accent is not only due to his consistent use of a number of identifiable Yorkshire phonetic variants, but equally to his adopting a particular articulatory setting and specific intonation patterns. In a parallel line of inquiry, this paper comments on Ian McMillan’s iconic use of rhythm, sonority, and structure to conjure up images of slowly moving water and show in what ways the distinctive characteristics of Yorkshire speech contribute to the evocative power of the piece. Some of McMillan’s speech characteristics raise the issues of dialect levelling and innovation diffusion, two key concepts in sociolinguistics. These are briefly explained and applied to the poet’s elocution as well as to the message conveyed by his poetry.
From a grammatical and lexical point of view, the variety of English spoken in the Outer Hebrides... more From a grammatical and lexical point of view, the variety of English spoken in the Outer Hebrides is akin to Standard Scottish English (SSE). From a phonetic and phonological point of view, however, it is absolutely distinctive, mainly because of the influence and interference of Scottish Gaelic.
Based on two corpora composed of recordings of speakers from Lewis and Harris as well as on informal observations collected in the Outer Hebrides during the past sixteen years, this paper identifies and describes the most salient traits of traditional Hebridean accents, be they segmental or prosodic.
A brief examination of the speech of Hebridean adolescents highlights several changes in progress. These are to be traced both from the diffusion of individual phonetic innovations and from the attrition of marked variants – a phenomenon known as dialect levelling. These changes seem to be facilitated both by the decline of the Gaelic language and by the rejection of the traditional Hebridean values by a number of young speakers. Using data collected from adolescents as well as informal observations, we try to identify some of the most prominent changes that affect the accents of Lewis and Harris in apparent time.
A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical vari... more A number of phonetic and phonological changes have lately been observed in most geographical varieties of British English (e.g. Trudgill 1986 ; Foulkes & Docherty 1999 ; Britain 2002b ; Kerswill 2003 ; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004, 2007). This phenomenon seems to have been accelerated in the past decades by increasing social and geographical mobility (e.g. Kerswill 2003 ; Britain 2002a, 2002b ; Stuart-Smith et al. 2004). Based on a corpus mainly composed of recordings of spontaneous conversations between native North West Yorkshire (NW Yorkshire) speakers divided into age groups, this paper identifies and analyses a number of segmental and suprasegmental innovations observed in apparent time in both urban and rural settings. It discusses the sociolinguistic motivation behind some of these innovations and addresses the question of whether the same factors and principles operate in suprasegmental change – especially in the fields of intonation and voice quality – as in the diffusion of non-traditional segmental phonetic/phonological features. It also tackles the nature and status of diffusing intonational patterns such as the innovative use of rising tones in association with statements. The semantic/pragmatic value of these patterns is taken into consideration as well as that of a number of articulatory and phonatory adjustments characterising adolescent speech. It is suggested that the changes observed occur as a result of koineisation and supralocalisation processes (Siegel 1985 ; Kerswill and Williams 2000 ; Britain 2005, 2009), and that they testify to the emergence of new supralocal dialect areas in the north of England.
Glain, O., Jobert, M. (eds.). Phonologies de l'anglais : théories et applications. Limoges : Editions Lambert Lucas. , 2018
Le High Rising Terminal – ou HRT– est un ton ascendant employé de manière non traditionnelle en f... more Le High Rising Terminal – ou HRT– est un ton ascendant employé de manière non traditionnelle en fin d’énoncé déclaratif. Pour le décrire, on a parfois évoqué un emploi de l’« intonation des questions » sur des énoncés assertifs (Ching 1982 ; Britain 1992). Depuis quelques décennies, le HRT est observé dans de multiples variétés d’anglais (Lakoff 1975 ; Ching 1982 ; Guy &Vonwiller 1984 ; Allan 1990 ; McLemore 1991 ; Britain 1992 ; Bradford 1997 ; Cruttenden 1997 ; Ladd 1996 ; Barry 2007 ; Liberman 2008 ; Sullivan 2010). Comme d’autres innovations recensées en anglais contemporain, il est particulièrement saillant (Foulkes&Docherty 2007) et a par conséquent suscité l’intérêt des médias, qui attribuent fréquemment sa progression à l’influence des feuilletons télévisés australiens. Nous nous intéressons ici à la forme des mélodies employées pour réaliser le High Rising Terminal en anglais contemporain et nous interrogeons sur les implications de nos investigations sur la définition du phénomène. À partir d’un corpus oral, nous dressons en premier lieu une typologie des contours mélodiques régulièrement employés pour réaliser le HRT dans diverses variétés d’anglais. Nous examinons ensuite plusieurs contours marginaux et la délimitation non canonique de certains segments de discours sur lesquels le HRT est observé. Dans la discussion qui suit, nous réfléchissons aux implications définitoires et aux éventuelles répercussions phonologiques de nos observations et nous nous interrogeons sur la nature des critères de différentiation ente les HRT et les tons ascendants traditionnellement observés en fin d’énoncé déclaratif dans le nord des îles Britanniques.
This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a... more This paper investigates some of the phonetic characteristics of the High Rising Terminal (HRT), a major intonational innovation now attested in numerous dialects of English worldwide. Based on a corpus containing recordings of different geographical varieties of contemporary English, it presents an inventory of the intonation patterns used to realize the HRT. It also suggests that late rising could prove a useful discriminatory criterion to distinguish HRTs from the rises traditionally observed on declaratives in Northern British varieties of English (Urban North British Intonation). Some concluding remarks are made on the syntactic structure of the segments with which the High Rising Terminal is associated.
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Papers by Stephan WILHELM
Like e.g. Laver (1968; 1980), Sharpe (1970) or Mackenzie-Beck (2005), we take voice quality to refer to the quality of the human voice in the production of language that results from both phonatory (laryngeal) and articulatory (supralaryngeal) adjustments. We also think that voice quality should be included among suprasegmental elements insofar as phonatory and articulatory settings, when conceived of as components of voice quality, fulfil a function that is superposed to that of the phonatory and articulatory components of any acoustic realisation of the English phonemes.
We first survey the main types of voice quality. We then show that, in British English, some of these voice types can fulfil not only linguistic or paralinguistic functions, but also, most importantly, an extralinguistic function. On a sociolinguistic level, we give evidence that, in some cases at least, voice quality constitutes a reliable marker of geographical or social origins. We suggest that, like segmental elements or intonation features, the use of voice quality settings can spread through processes of social or geographical diffusion. Lastly, we point out that the study of voice quality may prove useful in a wide variety of domains such as forensic linguistics, voice recognition, speech synthesis and, crucially, EFL teaching.
Besides, it is argued that the distinctiveness of McMillan’s accent is not only due to his consistent use of a number of identifiable Yorkshire phonetic variants, but equally to his adopting a particular articulatory setting and specific intonation patterns.
In a parallel line of inquiry, this paper comments on Ian McMillan’s iconic use of rhythm, sonority, and structure to conjure up images of slowly moving water and show in what ways the distinctive characteristics of Yorkshire speech contribute to the evocative power of the piece.
Some of McMillan’s speech characteristics raise the issues of dialect levelling and innovation diffusion, two key concepts in sociolinguistics. These are briefly explained and applied to the poet’s elocution as well as to the message conveyed by his poetry.
Based on two corpora composed of recordings of speakers from Lewis and Harris as well as on informal observations collected in the Outer Hebrides during the past sixteen years, this paper identifies and describes the most salient traits of traditional Hebridean accents, be they segmental or prosodic.
A brief examination of the speech of Hebridean adolescents highlights several changes in progress. These are to be traced both from the diffusion of individual phonetic innovations and from the attrition of marked variants – a phenomenon known as dialect levelling. These changes seem to be facilitated both by the decline of the Gaelic language and by the rejection of the traditional Hebridean values by a number of young speakers. Using data collected from adolescents as well as informal observations, we try to identify some of the most prominent changes that affect the accents of Lewis and Harris in apparent time.
Based on a corpus mainly composed of recordings of spontaneous conversations between native North West Yorkshire (NW Yorkshire) speakers divided into age groups, this paper identifies and analyses a number of segmental and suprasegmental innovations observed in apparent time in both urban and rural settings. It discusses the sociolinguistic motivation behind some of these innovations and addresses the question of whether the same factors and principles operate in suprasegmental change – especially in the fields of intonation and voice quality – as in the diffusion of non-traditional segmental phonetic/phonological features. It also tackles the nature and status of diffusing intonational patterns such as the innovative use of rising tones in association with statements. The semantic/pragmatic value of these patterns is taken into consideration as well as that of a number of articulatory and phonatory adjustments characterising adolescent speech. It is suggested that the changes observed occur as a result of koineisation and supralocalisation processes (Siegel 1985 ; Kerswill and Williams 2000 ; Britain 2005, 2009), and that they testify to the emergence of new supralocal dialect areas in the north of England.
Depuis quelques décennies, le HRT est observé dans de multiples variétés d’anglais (Lakoff 1975 ; Ching 1982 ; Guy &Vonwiller 1984 ; Allan 1990 ; McLemore 1991 ; Britain 1992 ; Bradford 1997 ; Cruttenden 1997 ; Ladd 1996 ; Barry 2007 ; Liberman 2008 ; Sullivan 2010). Comme d’autres innovations recensées en anglais contemporain, il est particulièrement saillant (Foulkes&Docherty 2007) et a par conséquent suscité l’intérêt des médias, qui attribuent fréquemment sa progression à l’influence des feuilletons télévisés australiens.
Nous nous intéressons ici à la forme des mélodies employées pour réaliser le High Rising Terminal en anglais contemporain et nous interrogeons sur les implications de nos investigations sur la définition du phénomène.
À partir d’un corpus oral, nous dressons en premier lieu une typologie des contours mélodiques régulièrement employés pour réaliser le HRT dans diverses variétés d’anglais. Nous examinons ensuite plusieurs contours marginaux et la délimitation non canonique de certains segments de discours sur lesquels le HRT est observé. Dans la discussion qui suit, nous réfléchissons aux implications définitoires et aux éventuelles répercussions phonologiques de nos observations et nous nous interrogeons sur la nature des critères de différentiation ente les HRT et les tons ascendants traditionnellement observés en fin d’énoncé déclaratif dans le nord des îles Britanniques.
Like e.g. Laver (1968; 1980), Sharpe (1970) or Mackenzie-Beck (2005), we take voice quality to refer to the quality of the human voice in the production of language that results from both phonatory (laryngeal) and articulatory (supralaryngeal) adjustments. We also think that voice quality should be included among suprasegmental elements insofar as phonatory and articulatory settings, when conceived of as components of voice quality, fulfil a function that is superposed to that of the phonatory and articulatory components of any acoustic realisation of the English phonemes.
We first survey the main types of voice quality. We then show that, in British English, some of these voice types can fulfil not only linguistic or paralinguistic functions, but also, most importantly, an extralinguistic function. On a sociolinguistic level, we give evidence that, in some cases at least, voice quality constitutes a reliable marker of geographical or social origins. We suggest that, like segmental elements or intonation features, the use of voice quality settings can spread through processes of social or geographical diffusion. Lastly, we point out that the study of voice quality may prove useful in a wide variety of domains such as forensic linguistics, voice recognition, speech synthesis and, crucially, EFL teaching.
Besides, it is argued that the distinctiveness of McMillan’s accent is not only due to his consistent use of a number of identifiable Yorkshire phonetic variants, but equally to his adopting a particular articulatory setting and specific intonation patterns.
In a parallel line of inquiry, this paper comments on Ian McMillan’s iconic use of rhythm, sonority, and structure to conjure up images of slowly moving water and show in what ways the distinctive characteristics of Yorkshire speech contribute to the evocative power of the piece.
Some of McMillan’s speech characteristics raise the issues of dialect levelling and innovation diffusion, two key concepts in sociolinguistics. These are briefly explained and applied to the poet’s elocution as well as to the message conveyed by his poetry.
Based on two corpora composed of recordings of speakers from Lewis and Harris as well as on informal observations collected in the Outer Hebrides during the past sixteen years, this paper identifies and describes the most salient traits of traditional Hebridean accents, be they segmental or prosodic.
A brief examination of the speech of Hebridean adolescents highlights several changes in progress. These are to be traced both from the diffusion of individual phonetic innovations and from the attrition of marked variants – a phenomenon known as dialect levelling. These changes seem to be facilitated both by the decline of the Gaelic language and by the rejection of the traditional Hebridean values by a number of young speakers. Using data collected from adolescents as well as informal observations, we try to identify some of the most prominent changes that affect the accents of Lewis and Harris in apparent time.
Based on a corpus mainly composed of recordings of spontaneous conversations between native North West Yorkshire (NW Yorkshire) speakers divided into age groups, this paper identifies and analyses a number of segmental and suprasegmental innovations observed in apparent time in both urban and rural settings. It discusses the sociolinguistic motivation behind some of these innovations and addresses the question of whether the same factors and principles operate in suprasegmental change – especially in the fields of intonation and voice quality – as in the diffusion of non-traditional segmental phonetic/phonological features. It also tackles the nature and status of diffusing intonational patterns such as the innovative use of rising tones in association with statements. The semantic/pragmatic value of these patterns is taken into consideration as well as that of a number of articulatory and phonatory adjustments characterising adolescent speech. It is suggested that the changes observed occur as a result of koineisation and supralocalisation processes (Siegel 1985 ; Kerswill and Williams 2000 ; Britain 2005, 2009), and that they testify to the emergence of new supralocal dialect areas in the north of England.
Depuis quelques décennies, le HRT est observé dans de multiples variétés d’anglais (Lakoff 1975 ; Ching 1982 ; Guy &Vonwiller 1984 ; Allan 1990 ; McLemore 1991 ; Britain 1992 ; Bradford 1997 ; Cruttenden 1997 ; Ladd 1996 ; Barry 2007 ; Liberman 2008 ; Sullivan 2010). Comme d’autres innovations recensées en anglais contemporain, il est particulièrement saillant (Foulkes&Docherty 2007) et a par conséquent suscité l’intérêt des médias, qui attribuent fréquemment sa progression à l’influence des feuilletons télévisés australiens.
Nous nous intéressons ici à la forme des mélodies employées pour réaliser le High Rising Terminal en anglais contemporain et nous interrogeons sur les implications de nos investigations sur la définition du phénomène.
À partir d’un corpus oral, nous dressons en premier lieu une typologie des contours mélodiques régulièrement employés pour réaliser le HRT dans diverses variétés d’anglais. Nous examinons ensuite plusieurs contours marginaux et la délimitation non canonique de certains segments de discours sur lesquels le HRT est observé. Dans la discussion qui suit, nous réfléchissons aux implications définitoires et aux éventuelles répercussions phonologiques de nos observations et nous nous interrogeons sur la nature des critères de différentiation ente les HRT et les tons ascendants traditionnellement observés en fin d’énoncé déclaratif dans le nord des îles Britanniques.