Toronto English vowels: Deriving the vowel space from conversational data.

Abstract

This presentation develops an overview of the Toronto English vowel space using data derived from the unscripted, casual speech typical of sociolinguistic interviews, rather than the more “formal” avenue of laboratory speech. Drawing on a corpus of sociolinguistic interviews collected by Walker & Hoffman (“language contact, linguistic variation and ethnic identity in Toronto English” SSHRC SRG 410‐2008‐2048) and using multiple‐point formant measurements of stressed vowels in “clean” environments (e.g., avoiding coda nasals and liquids), this study develops views of the vowel space that illustrate modal or average vowel centers, within‐category scatter, between‐category dispersion, and VISC. In refining this kind of vowel data collection and analysis, this research provides a baseline for further studies, such as to describe vowel differences in “ethnically” marked varieties of English, to characterize adjustments made in specific phonological contexts, to identify previously undescribed phonetic variation in Canadian English, and to compare similar data from other varieties of English.