Merger and Reversal of the Bären and Beeren Vowels: The Role of Salience

Abstract

AbstractThe Bären vowel in German is known to be subject to extensive variation, including, for some speakers, a merger with the Beeren vowel. This article investigates the behaviour of the Bären and Beeren vowels in Standard German in Switzerland and Austria. We observe an ongoing merger in Swiss Standard German but an ongoing reversal of such a merger in Austrian Standard German. Independent evidence shows that both varieties (Swiss and Austrian German) accommodate toward the prestige variety in northern Germany. This presents a kind of paradox: why should merger and reversal occur side by side? We attribute these opposite tendencies of merger and reversal to perceptual salience. In the prestige variety, much variation between these two vowels occurs, so Swiss and Austrian speakers are exposed to variable input for both vowels. This paper argues that the vowel that is different from the own variety is perceptually most salient and therefore accommodated to. As for the Swiss speakers, the merger of the Bären and the Beeren vowel is unexpected, therefore salient, hence accommodated to. As for the Austrian speakers, the distinction between the Bären and the Beeren vowel is unexpected, therefore salient, and accommodated to. This leads to the observed, opposite, patterns of change.