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Article published In:
Styles, Standards and Meaning in Lesser-Studied Languages
Edited by Uri Horesh, Jonathan R. Kasstan and Miriam Meyerhoff
[Language Ecology 4:1] 2020
► pp. 115–130

Style variation in the second formant

What does it mean to be “refined” in Baba Malay?

 | National University of Singapore
Baba Malay speakers perceive words ending with [al], [aɾ], and [as] as kasar ‘coarse’, and their counterparts ending with [ɛ] as halus ‘refined’. The contrast is neither phonetic, phonological or morphological. Instead, it may be mitigated by sound symbolism operationalized by F2. The frontness of [ɛ] is associated with a smaller articulatory space in the oral cavity, and hence refinedness, as compared to the more backwards coarse forms. This study employs a matched-guise perceptual task. Refined forms are elicited from speakers. The F2 in the relevant endings is adjusted twice upwards and twice downwards in steps of 100Hz. Listeners rate these guises on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being most associated with ‘refined’ values. Results show that the higher F2 is, the more likely listeners are to associate the guise with ‘refined’ values.
Keywords: matched-guise, creole, style, register, acoustic, perceptual, sound symbolism, Baba Malay
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: The kasar-halus phenomenon in Baba Malay and its issue for linguistics
  • 2.Methodology: Within-subject matched guise
    • 2.1Within-subject matched guise
    • 2.2Tokens
    • 4.3Task
    • 2.4Participants
  • 3.Results: F2 and refinedness
  • 4.Implications: The role of sound symbolism in style variation
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 27 July 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/le.00012.lee
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Lee, Nala H.
2023. The early Baba Malay continuum. Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages DOI logo
Meyerhoff, Miriam & Norma Mendoza-Denton
2022. Aesthetics in Styles and Variation: A Fresh Flavor. Annual Review of Anthropology 51:1 ► pp. 103 ff. DOI logo

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