Regional variation in vowel acoustics in children.

Abstract

This study examines the acquisition of the American English vowel system by children who grew up in one of the three distinct dialect areas in the United States: western North Carolina, central Ohio, and southeastern Wisconsin. Of interest is the extent to which children acquire dialect‐specific vowel dispersion patterns and dynamic formant movements (vowel‐inherent spectral change). Ninety‐four children (8–12 years) and 93 adults (51–65 years), males and females, produced 13 vowel categories in isolated hVd words. The results for children clearly show the presence of dialect‐specific features found in adult speakers. The regional positional relations among vowels are generally maintained in children. For some vowels, the correspondence in the amount of spectral change and formant trajectory shape between children and adults is remarkable. Two major changes in children are common across dialects: reduction of formant movement in selected monophthongs and more uniform production of diphthongs in which dialectal differences present in adults tend to disappear. These results show that children are able to adopt and reproduce dialect‐specific acoustic vowel characteristics quite well despite their exposure to highly variable input, which creates opportunities for dialect convergence and standardization through interaction with mass media and telecommunication. [Work supported by NIH.]