Phonétique, sociolinguistique, sociophonétique : histoires parallèles et croisements

International audienceIs it possible to provide a clear and unambiguous definition for the expanding field of sociophonetics ? Starting from this question, this article introduces the respective contributions of phonetics and sociolinguistics and the role their interactions have played inthe genesis and development of sociophonetic studies. Avenues of research that have traditionally received less attention are also highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the phonetic and/or sociolinguistic studies of French which have contributed to a description of French sound variability that incorporates social information. This introductory article brings together research from a wide range of studies on perception and social meaning of pronunciation variants in French.Est-il possible de définir de façon univoque et de circonscrire la sociophonétique, qui connait un essor important ces dernières années ? Partant de cette question, cet article introductif retrace les contributions respectives de la phonétique et de la sociolinguistique et le rôle de leurs interactions dans la genèse et le développement du domaine sociophonétique. Les directions de recherche encore peu explorées sont également mises en évidence. Une attention particulière est accordée aux études de la dimension phonique du français qui, bien qu'elles ne se soient que rarement définies comme sociophonétiques, ont peu à peu participé à l'élaboration d'une description socialement informée de la variabilité des unités sonores de cette langue, tant en ce qui concerne leur production que leur perception ou la construction de leur signification sociale

Phonetic cues to depression:A sociolinguistic perspective

Phonetic data are used in several ways outside of the core field of phonetics. This paper offers the perspective of one such field, sociophonetics, towards another, the study of acoustic cues to clinical depression. While sociophonetics is interested in how, when, and why phonetic variables cue information about the world, the study of acoustic cues to depression is focused on how phonetic variables can be used by medical professionals as tools to diagnosis. The latter is only interested in identifying phonetic cues to depression, while the former is interested in how phonetic variation cues anything at all. While the two fields fundamentally differ with respect to ontology, epistemology, and methodology, I argue that there are, nonetheless, possible avenues for future engagement, collaboration, and investigation. Ultimately, both fields need to engage with Crip Linguistics for any successful intervention on the relationship between speech and depression

Shortening of long high vowels in Hungarian : a perceptual loss?

Vowel quantity is distinctive in Hungarian for all vowels. However, the quantity opposition in high vowels has become unstable in colloquial speech. Possible reasons are the low functional load of this distinctive feature and the lack of supporting acoustic cues such as spectral differences between long and short high vowels. According to Ohala’s model of sound change, the quantity neutralisation process in the production of high vowels might go back to a perceptual loss. This was tested in a forced-choice categorisation experiment for high, mid, and low vowels with different age groups. Our results show a decreased sensibility for high and also mid vowels, but only in unstressed position

Fonética, que bicho é esse?

This essay develops, in greater detail, the topics discussed in the Round Table “Phonetics, what kind of stuff is it?”, which was run by the authors in the Abralin Ao Vivo – Linguists Online event, on May 22, 2020. Three areas of Phonetic Sciences and their associated analytical techniques used in experimental research works are introduced: Articulatory Phonetics, Acoustic Phonetics and Auditory Phonetics. Their application to domains such as the ones which focus on the expression of psychological and sociobiological features and forensic contexts are also considered. Our objective is to provide the readers, especially the Language Sciences students, a more precise picture of the field of Phonetics.Este ensaio aprofunda temas discutidos na Mesa Redonda “Fonética, que bicho é esse?” conduzida por estes autores no evento Abralin Ao Vivo – Linguists Online, no dia 22 de maio de 2020. Assim, são apresentados o objeto de estudo da Fonética, suas três áreas de estudos, a Fonética Articulatória, a Fonética Acústica e a Fonética Auditiva, bem como técnicas de análises que permitem o estudo experimental de cada uma delas; além de suas aplicações para outros domínios comunicativos, como aqueles que emergem da veiculação de emoções na fala, do estudo de aspectos sociais e do contexto forense. Nosso objetivo é fornecer ao leitor e, principalmente, ao estudante da área de Ciências da Linguagem, uma primeira visão geral da área de atuação da Fonética

DRESS-down: /ε/-lowering in apparent time in a rural Scottish community

This paper presents a sociophonetic investigation of /ɛ/-lowering in apparent time. The data come from 24 speakers, across three generations from Buckie, northeast Scotland (12 males, 12 females). Acoustic analysis of the DRESS-vowel reveals that it is lowering in apparent time. Inspection of the constraints reveals an interaction of internal and external constraints. Analysis of the phonetic context revealed that following-l promoted DRESS lowering. However, this conditioning was only significant for the young females who were shown to be leading the change. The results presented here are related to broader phonological characteristics of the Buckie dialect as well as ongoing changes in a number of different English varieties

DRESS-Down: /ε/-lowering in Apparent Tme in a Rural Scottish Community

This paper presents a sociophonetic investigation of /ɛ/-lowering in apparent time. The data come from 24 speakers, across three generations from Buckie, northeast Scotland (12 males, 12 females). Acoustic analysis of the DRESS-vowel reveals that it is lowering in apparent time. Inspection of the constraints reveals an interaction of internal and external constraints. Analysis of the phonetic context revealed that following-l promoted DRESS lowering. However, this conditioning was only significant for the young females who were shown to be leading the change. The results presented here are related to broader phonological characteristics of the Buckie dialect as well as ongoing changes in a number of different English varietie

Social Differentiation of Inter-word Yod Coalescence in Spoken Nigerian English

This study attempts to track the incidence of inter-word yod coalescence and possibility of its correlation with social factors in Nigerian English. Three hundred and sixty educated Nigerian speakers of English, evenly distributed into social variables of gender, age and social class, provided data for the study. They were guided to voice five utterances and a short passage into digital recording devices. Tokens of yod coalescence produced at different word boundaries were extracted and analysed statistically, using percentages and the univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The findings reveal a very low usage (3.6%) of inter-word yod coalescence. The process was, however, more prevalent among young speakers and members of high social class who seem to be importing it into the accent. This finding points in the direction of some ongoing innovation in the NigE accent, which possibly suggests the onset of socially conditioned phoneticphonological variation