The acoustic character of fricated /t/ in Australian English: a comparison with /s/ and /ʃ/

Kirsty McDougall, Mark J. Jones

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    13 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Australian English /t/ has a fricative realisation in some contexts. The presence of an additional surface fricative in the language raises questions about potential merger and the maintenance of contrasts. An orthographic representation of fricated /t/ as 〈sh〉 suggests a similarity to the existing fricative /ʃ/. This paper compares the acoustic characteristics of fricated realisations of /t/ in Australian English with those of /ʃ/ and /s/, the fricatives judged most likely to be acoustically similar. The findings suggest a great degree of similarity to /ʃ/ in terms of spectral measures, with duration being the most likely perceptual means of distinguishing fricated /t/ from /ʃ/.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)265-289
    JournalJournal of the International Phonetic Association
    Volume39
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 12 Nov 2009

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