Disassociating the effects of age from phonetic change
-
Ulrich Reubold
Abstract
Our study aimed at disassociating age-related from phonetic changes in broadcasts by British-American radio commentator Alistair Cooke, spanning 60 years. Both the first formant (F1) and fundamental frequency (f0) in non-low vowels showed a falling-rising pattern with increasing age. We argue that this covariation may have a perceptual origin because the distance between F1 and f0 is a perceptual cue to vowel height. A covariation of F1 and F2 in low back vowels is also consistent with a perceptual explanation. By contrast, F1 changes in low vowels may be associated with physiological changes to the jaw-opening mechanisms. Finally, we discuss phonetic changes, showing accent reversion from General American towards Cooke’s former Received Pronunciation over a thirty-year period.
Abstract
Our study aimed at disassociating age-related from phonetic changes in broadcasts by British-American radio commentator Alistair Cooke, spanning 60 years. Both the first formant (F1) and fundamental frequency (f0) in non-low vowels showed a falling-rising pattern with increasing age. We argue that this covariation may have a perceptual origin because the distance between F1 and f0 is a perceptual cue to vowel height. A covariation of F1 and F2 in low back vowels is also consistent with a perceptual explanation. By contrast, F1 changes in low vowels may be associated with physiological changes to the jaw-opening mechanisms. Finally, we discuss phonetic changes, showing accent reversion from General American towards Cooke’s former Received Pronunciation over a thirty-year period.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Investigating the lifespan perspective 1
- Disassociating the effects of age from phonetic change 9
- Phonological variation in real time 39
- Language production in late life 59
- Vocabulary and dementia in six novelists 77
- A sociolinguistic perspective on vocabulary richness in a seven-year comparison of older adults 109
- Age-related variation and language change in Early Modern English 129
- Lifespan and linguistic awareness 147
- Tired mind or tired hand? 167
- Kriegsausbruch, Kriegs Ausbruch, KriegsAusbruch 189
- Index 231
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Investigating the lifespan perspective 1
- Disassociating the effects of age from phonetic change 9
- Phonological variation in real time 39
- Language production in late life 59
- Vocabulary and dementia in six novelists 77
- A sociolinguistic perspective on vocabulary richness in a seven-year comparison of older adults 109
- Age-related variation and language change in Early Modern English 129
- Lifespan and linguistic awareness 147
- Tired mind or tired hand? 167
- Kriegsausbruch, Kriegs Ausbruch, KriegsAusbruch 189
- Index 231
