Title: The limited distribution of syllabic nasals in American EnglishLisa Davidson, Department of Linguistics, NYU
Abstract:Examples of syllabic nasals in English are common in
phonological accounts (e.g., Hammond 1999, Wells 1995).
However, the accounts typically rely on introspective
judgments and examples of where syllabic nasals can occur
and where [əN] must be produced can seem arbitrary: e.g.,
button (Southern British English (SBE):
/button/ [bʌtn̩],
AmEng: [bʌʔn̩],
/seven/ [sɛvn̩], but [ən] for /sullen,
sudden, blacken/). A few studies have used phonetic criteria
to determine nasal syllabicity (Toft 2002, Roach et al
1992), but most work is based on SBE and/or examines few
words. In this study, speech materials for eliciting
potential syllabic nasal environments in American English
are designed.
Target words contain potential syllabic nasals ([n̩/ən]) in
word final position, e.g. ripen, risen, rotten, sudden.
Words were evenly divided by the manner of the consonant
preceding the final [n̩/ən]: oral stops, glottal stops,
fricatives, flaps, and laterals, as well as 10 words with
potential syllabic [m̩] (e.g.
/prism/). The stimuli were
recorded by 25 native speakers of Northeastern AmEng.
Results indicate that [n̩] is found primarily in words with
preceding [ʔ], and to a lesser extent in words with
preceding [ɾ]/[d]. For all other preceding manners, words
are produced overwhelmingly with [ən]. Furthermore,
inspection of individual speakers for both [ʔ] and [ɾ]/[d]
shows that variation is across, not within, speakers.
These findings indicate that the production of [n̩] is
mainly limited to post-[ʔ] position in Northeastern AmEng,
with some extension to [ɾ]/[d]. The lack of schwa primarily
after [ʔ] may relate to findings that some positions favor
glottally-reinforced productions of
/t/ in AmEng, which may
in turn account for why AmEng has the /ʔ/ allophone before
nasals. A possible gestural account of how glottalization
could give rise to syllabic nasals, and potential reasons
for extension of syllabic nasals to preceding [ɾ]/[d] will
be considered.
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