The acoustic and articulatory characteristics of Cape Breton fricative /t/

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the acoustic and articulatory characteristics of the fricative realization of /t/ in the dialect of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Two experiments were conducted to determine the similarities and differences betwee fricative /t/, or “slit-t”, and other voiceless coronal sounds. Previous research on this sound in some communities has found it to be more similar to /s/ than /ʃ/, while in other communities it has been found to be more similar to /ʃ/ than /s/. The first experiment conducted was a qualitative analysis of static palatograms of one Cape Breton speaker’s production of six different coronal sounds. Results from this experiment suggest “slit-t” to be articulatorily distinct from both /s/ and /ʃ/. The second experiment conducted was a statistical analysis of several acoustic measurements of six Cape Breton speakers’ production of six different coronal sounds. Results from this experiment suggest “slit-t” is acousticcally distinct from both /s/ and /ʃ/, or rather on a cline between these two sounds.