Article published in:
Language Development: The lifespan perspective
Edited by Annette Gerstenberg and Anja Voeste
[IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society 37] 2015
► pp. 9–38

Disassociating the effects of age from phonetic change

A longitudinal study of formant frequencies

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.

Published online: 22 July 2015
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.37.02reu
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