A modern light on diachronic processes affecting coda /l/ in English
This paper examines historical changes affecting coda laterals in British English, in the light of findings
from articulatory phonology, with some insights from acoustic and perceptual phonetics as well. Historically, coda
laterals induce pre-lateral diphthongisation and are themselves vocalised/lost, usually to a back rounded vowel. Coda
laterals involve a radical gesture (retracted tongue root), and diphthongisation is caused by a gestural conflict
between the laminal-dorsal gesture of the vowel and the radical gesture of the following lateral, producing an
excrescent vowel in the transition. This excrescent vowel sounds like a schwa or /ɔ/ due to a shared post-oral gesture
between these vowels and coda laterals. Vocalisation/loss is caused by gestural reduction, whether in terms of time,
timing or space.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Laterals: Gestures and formants
- 3.Historical and PDE changes affecting coda laterals
- 3.1Diphthong formation
- 3.2Lengthening of pre-lateral vowels
- 3.3Vocalisation and loss of coda lateral
- 3.4Summary
- 4.Explaining the developments of coda laterals
- 4.1Diphthong formation
- 4.2Lengthening of pre-lateral vowels
- 4.3Vocalisation and loss of coda laterals
- 5.Conclusion
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Acknowledgements
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Notes
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References