Last updated by wjarek on 2008-12-15. Originally submitted by wjarek on 2008-11-25.
The Department of Contemporary English Language invites you to the first instalment of the Phon&Phon Reading Group.
16 December 2008, 18:30, room 601A.
Vowel shifts: Beyond the Northern Cities
Jarosław Weckwerth
This first instalment of the Phon&Phon Reading Group will partially build on the content of the recent guest lectures at IFA by Dennis Preston.
On the basis of the sources given below, we will discuss:
(1) The mechanics of vowel shifts.
(2) Possible explanations/motivations of vowel shifts.
(3) The implications of vowel shifts for descriptions of English, e.g. in terms of transcription.
We will mainly focus on the front short vowels and closing diphthongs of the so-called “Southern Hemisphere Englishes”, i.e. Australian, New Zealand and South African English. As a result, when reading the sources, concentrate on those topics. You are of course welcome and encouraged to read the sections on consonants etc., but they will not be central to our discussion.
Audio (and video?) fun will be provided.
>>> The Sources <<<
1. Australian English
Cox, Felicity. 2008. “Vowel transcription systems: An Australian perspective”, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 10, 327-333.
[Go to Felicity Cox’s website to download a preprint.]
2. New Zealand English
Bauer, Laurie – Paul Warren. 2004. “New Zealand English: Phonology”, in: Bernd Kortmann – Edgar W. Schneider (eds.), 580-602.
[See below.]
Please focus on the description of vowels on pp. 587-593.
3. South African English
Lass, Roger. 2004. “South African English”, in: Raymond Hickey (ed.), Legacies of colonial English, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 363-386.
[Available from Novum Library, call number Lh, Leg 1.]
Please focus on the description of vowels on pp. 374-378.
4. Refresher on the Northern Cities Shift
For those who did not attend Preston’s lectures or would like to explore the Northern Cities Shift in more detail.
Gordon, Matthew. 2004. “New York, Philadelphia and other northern cities: Phonology”, in Kortmann, Bernd – Edgar W. Schneider (eds.), 282–299.
[See below.]
For those who would like to explore “Southern Hemisphere Englishes” in more detail.
Cox, Felicity. 2006. “Australian English pronunciation into the 21st century”. Prospect: Australian Journal of TESOL 21. 3-21.
Horvath, Barbara M. 2004. “Australian English: Phonology”, in: Bernd Kortmann – Edgar W. Schneider (eds.), 625-644.
Bowerman, Sean. 2004. “White South African English”, in: Bernd Kortmann – Edgar W. Schneider (eds.), 931-942.
Bauer, Laurie – Paul Warren – Dianne Bardsley – Marianna Kennedy – George Major. 2007. “Illustrations of the IPA: New Zealand English”, Journal of the International Phonetic Association 37, 1, 97-102.
[This is not available from Novum Library. Contact J Weckwerth for an electronic copy.]
Kortmann, Bernd – Edgar W. Schneider. 2004. A handbook of varieties of English. Vol. 1. Phonology. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
[Available from Novum Library, call number Ld, Handb 1.]
