(thr)-Flapping in American English: Social factors and articulatory motivations

Keywords

(thr)-flapping, American English, flapping

Abstract

This paper is the first dedicated study on (thr)-flapping, or the insertion of a tap in /Tô/ clusters in American English. While [R] is often described as an allophone of alveolar stops, it is not normally associated with /ô/ in American English speakers. Using data collected from word lists by 85 speakers in Washington and Utah, I show that (thr)-flapping is a significant minority variant, especially in Utah. I propose sociolinguistic factors that account for the difference between these two states and suggest articulatory motivations for flapping in this environment. This paper lays the groundwork for additional research on (thr)-flapping.

Original Publication Citation

Joseph A. Stanley. “(thr)-Flapping in American English: Social factors and articulatory motivations.” (2019) Proceedings of the 5th Annual Linguistics Conference at UGA. 49–63.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2019

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8866

Publisher

University of Georgia

Language

English

College

Humanities

Department

Linguistics

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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