A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Vowel qualities in monosyllabic words in Namibian English




AuthorsSaloranta, Antti; Haapanen, Katja; Peltola, Kimmo U.; Tamminen, Henna; Uwu-khaeb, Lannie; Peltola, Maija S.

PublisherEquinox Publishing

Publication year2024

JournalJournal of monolingual and bilingual speech

Journal name in sourceJournal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech

Volume6

Issue2

First page 213

Last page224

ISSN2631-8407

eISSN2631-8415

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1558/jmbs.26377

Web address https://doi.org/10.1558/jmbs.26377

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/459073960


Abstract

This study investigated how Namibian English speakers produce vowel qualities in controlled speech. Participants were 14 proficient Namibian English speakers, who produced monosyllabic English CVC words, presented in orthographic form. The first and second formant values were extracted from the speakers’ productions to determine the vowel qualities in each word. The formant values produced by the Namibian English speakers were then compared to those produced by nine British English speakers, obtained from a previous study, in order to examine how Namibian English vowel qualities relate to British English vowel categories. The results showed a great deal of variation and overlap in the Namibian vowel categories, particularly in the close front vowels and open and close back vowels. This resulted in the formation of five to six clusters of vowel qualities. This is likely an effect of the varied linguistic backgrounds of the participants. Furthermore, the Namibian English vowels differed significantly from most British English vowels, especially in the F2 formant. Some commonalities with earlier research into Namibian English vowel qualities was found in the fronting, backing and mergers of some vowel categories.


Funding information in the publication
Kone Foundation


Last updated on 2025-24-02 at 09:58