/t/ variation in Connemara English
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/ExLing-2021/12/0060/000533Keywords:
Irish English, /t/-lenition, sociophonetics, language contactAbstract
This paper offers a preliminary investigation into the variation of /t/ in L2 English in the Connemara Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region) Ireland. As part of a broader pilot study it investigates the anecdotal claims that, in this dialect, /t/ is realised as a plosive ([t]) in intervocalic and post-stressed word-final contexts. This pattern diverges from the typical Irish English fricated variant [t̞] (known as ‘slit-t’) and the tapped variant [ɾ] (intervocalically); the latter is popular among younger Irish English speakers. Findings show that in the investigated contexts, /t/ is not always realised as [t], which is at variance with existing accounts. In addition, /t/ variation appears to be dependent on the strength of subjects’ social ties to the community.
References
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