Keywords

vowel trajectory analysis, sociolinguistic vowel shifts, merger investigation

Abstract

Recent Developments

Easier to extract trajectory data:

FAVE is good, but only returns 5 points, English-only
Fast Track has more gradience, cleaner, any language.

Easier to analyze trajectory data:

Generalized additive mixed effects models
"Difference smooths” can tells us where along the trajectory we see statistical significance between two curves.

We can analyze the trajectories themselves , rather than properties about them.

Overview

Vowel shifts may involve changes in trajectory:

Data: sociolinguistic interviews in Cowlitz County
Phenomenon: The “Elsewhere Shift”

Vowel shift might night involve changes in trajectory:

Data: Legacy linguistic atlas interviews in the South
Phenomenon: Southern Vowel Shift

Enrich our understanding of merger:

Data: Wordlists in Heber City, Utah
Phenomenon: The feel-fill merger

Original Publication Citation

Joseph A. Stanley. “What can vowel formant trajectories tell us about language change?” Sociolinguistics Group, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. November 30, 2021.