Social and personality variables in compensation for altered auditory feedback
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Svetlin Dimov
Abstract
This paper documents that variation in one’s personal sense of empowerment is related to one’s phonetic response to altered auditory feedback. We see this as related to the actuation of sound change, identifying a personal characteristic of individuals who are likely to introduce a change variant. Many speakers react to gradual alteration of auditory feedback by compensating for the manipulation – for example, by raising the frequency of a vowel’s F2 as it is reduced in auditory feedback. However, prior research has found that there is substantial individual variability in the degree of compensation. To test our hypothesis that this variability may be linked to social or personality factors, we investigated the relationship between participants’ responses to altered auditory feedback and their answers on questionnaires measuring a number of personality variables. A significant negative correlation was discovered: the more empowered subjects felt, the less they compensated.
Abstract
This paper documents that variation in one’s personal sense of empowerment is related to one’s phonetic response to altered auditory feedback. We see this as related to the actuation of sound change, identifying a personal characteristic of individuals who are likely to introduce a change variant. Many speakers react to gradual alteration of auditory feedback by compensating for the manipulation – for example, by raising the frequency of a vowel’s F2 as it is reduced in auditory feedback. However, prior research has found that there is substantial individual variability in the degree of compensation. To test our hypothesis that this variability may be linked to social or personality factors, we investigated the relationship between participants’ responses to altered auditory feedback and their answers on questionnaires measuring a number of personality variables. A significant negative correlation was discovered: the more empowered subjects felt, the less they compensated.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors and discussion participants ix
- Editors’ introduction 1
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Part I. Perception
- The listener as a source of sound change 21
- Perception grammars and sound change 37
- A phonetic interpretation of the sound changes affecting dark /l/ in Romance 57
- The production and perception of sub-phonemic vowel contrasts and the role of the listener in sound change 77
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Part II. Production
- The coarticulatory basis of diachronic high back vowel fronting 103
- Natural and unnatural patterns of sound change? 123
- The gaits of speech 147
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Part III. Social factors, structural factors and the typology of change
- Prosodic skewing of input and the initiation of cross-generational sound change 167
- Social and personality variables in compensation for altered auditory feedback 185
- Patterns of lexical diffusion and articulatory motivation for sound change 211
- Foundational concepts in the scientific study of sound change 235
- Index of subjects and terms 247
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors and discussion participants ix
- Editors’ introduction 1
-
Part I. Perception
- The listener as a source of sound change 21
- Perception grammars and sound change 37
- A phonetic interpretation of the sound changes affecting dark /l/ in Romance 57
- The production and perception of sub-phonemic vowel contrasts and the role of the listener in sound change 77
-
Part II. Production
- The coarticulatory basis of diachronic high back vowel fronting 103
- Natural and unnatural patterns of sound change? 123
- The gaits of speech 147
-
Part III. Social factors, structural factors and the typology of change
- Prosodic skewing of input and the initiation of cross-generational sound change 167
- Social and personality variables in compensation for altered auditory feedback 185
- Patterns of lexical diffusion and articulatory motivation for sound change 211
- Foundational concepts in the scientific study of sound change 235
- Index of subjects and terms 247
