Phonology Lecture Hong Kong English Consonants

Hong Kong English Unit 1-3: PHONOLOGY (2): CONSONANTS Dr. Tony T.N. Hung Language Centre Hong Kong Baptist University [email protected]

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Lack of Voiced vs. Voiceless contrast in HKE consonants [s] vs. [z] seal

[sil]

zeal [sil]

race

[res]

raze [res]

racing

[res]

razing[res]

[] vs. [] pressure [pre]

pleasure [ple]

[f] vs. [v] leafing [lif]

leaving [lif] (c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Pronunciation of Dental fricatives in HK English: [] Æ [f]

thin [fin]

[] Æ [d]

this [dis]

Word-final obstruent devoicing: judge [dt] judges [dds]

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

‘SPLITTING’ OF THE PHONEME /V/ /v/ Æ [f] even [w] advice

leaving event

rover revoke

? Initial hypothesis: ‘/v/ is realised as [w] in stressed syllables, and [f] in unstressed’ Counter-evidence: advertise [ædwtas] advertisement [ædwtismnt] province [prowins] provincial [prowinsl] (c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Conclusion: There is no phoneme /v/ in HK English. Words which are phonologically represented in other varieties as /v/ are represented in HKE as either /f/ or /w/. E.g. words like even, leaving, rover, etc. are represented as /ifn/, /lif/, /rof/, etc., and words like advice, event, revoke, advertise, province, etc. are represented as /dwas/, /iwnt/, /riwok/, /dwtas/, /prowins/, etc.

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

[l] ~ [n] ALTERNATION (Data from 15 HK university undergraduates) [l] pronounced as [n] [n] pronounced as [l] line lame longing lead loose loud lower lot lake leafing long low leaf let leaving light leave lumber

37% 27% 17% 17% 17% 17% 17% 13% 13% 10% 10% 10% 7% 7% 7% 7% 3% 3%

night no naked number need not net now noose nine name

33% 23% 20% 20% 13% 10% 10% 10% 7% 7% 3%

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Alternations between [l] and [n] in two pronunciations of the same word by the same speaker Speaker 8: let, leaf, longing, lot, lake, lead, leafing, leaving, loose, not, light, night Speaker 14: lot, light, long, loose, naked, need Speaker 1: loose, loud, number Speaker 3: line, longing Speaker 7: number

Conclusion: In HKE, [l] and [n] are apparently in free variation in the onset of a syllable. Cf. HK Mandarin: 鳥 (‘bird’) – 2 pronunciations: [niao],

[liao]

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

ELISION OF [w] GLIDE quote [kot] quarter [kt] quota [kota] quarrel [krl]

(cf. coat [kot]) (cf. coral [krl])

queen [kin] quite [kt]

GENERALISATION: [w] --> 0 / [+stop] __ [V +round]

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Consonant System of HKE /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ /g/

pea bee tie die, this cot got

/t/ /d/

cheap jeep

/f/ /s/ // //

fee, even seal, zeal thin, clothing she, pleasure

/l/ /n/ /m/ // /r/ /w/ /j/ /h/

lice, pill nice, pin mice sing rice wise, van yes hit

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Number of words in English depending on certain consonant contrasts [r/l] (e.g. rice/lice): 589; [r/w] (reed/weed): 213; [v/f] (van/fan): 130; [/t] (thin/tin): 117; [/d] (then/den): 58; [w/v] (wet/vet): 52; [/] (either/ether): 8; [/] (confusion/Confucian): 5.

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Minimal Pairs - Consonants

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium

Recommended Reading ™

Hung, T.T.N. (2002). ‘Towards a Phonology of Hong Kong English’. In K. Bolton (ed), Hong Kong English: Autonomy and Creativity, pp.119-140. Hong Kong University Press.

(c) 2004 Tony T.N. Hung, Waseda University Digital Campus Consortium