Word boundaries attenuate the effects of emphasis in Lebanese Arabic

Abstract

Arabic has a series of pharyngealized consonants, called “emphatics,” which are phonologically distinct from their plain counterparts. The strongest acoustic correlate of emphasis is a lowering of the second formant on vowels adjacent to the emphatic consonant. Arabic varieties differ in how far emphasis spreads, and previous work suggests that varieties may differ in whether emphasis can cross word boundaries. This study examines the effect of Lebanese Arabic emphatics on preceding vowels in two environments: within the word and within the phrase. Five native Lebanese speakers were recorded reading a list of phrases containing a target vowel preceding either an emphatic or plain consonant, with or without an intervening word boundary. In both environments, vowels preceding emphatic consonants have a lower F2 than vowels preceding plain consonants. Additionally, F2 is lowered more on vowels that are within the same word as the conditioning emphatic. Overall, these results indicate that emphasis in Lebanese Arabic affects preceding vowels within the domain of the word as well as the domain of the phrase, but this effect is stronger within the word.