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Residual Rhoticity and Emergent r-sandhi in the North West and South West of England: Different Approaches to Hiatus-Resolution?

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Sociolinguistics in England

Abstract

Rates of production of r-sandhi are compared in recordings of speech from two dialect areas: East Lancashire, which is still variably rhotic, and Oxfordshire, which is now non-rhotic but which was a rhotic area in the Survey of English Dialects. Some East Lancashire speakers appear to have simultaneous rhoticity and r-sandhi—possibly, as some form of ‘last gasp’ stage before eventual loss of rhoticity. The Oxfordshire speakers conform to a more typical pattern of non-rhoticity and presence of r-sandhi, but, particularly for younger speakers, rates of both intrusive-r and linking-r are variable, with vowel hiatus being alternatively resolved with a glottal stop. This could reflect the spread of a levelled hiatus resolution system, also affecting high vowels as well as the non-high vowels associated with r-sandhi.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A reviewer notes that rhoticity might be more prevalent in the SED after nurse vowels than after other vowels; third was chosen for this map for clarity, as there is a consistent [əɹː] vowel across the region shown on the map. The maps for arm or darning (start) still have rhoticity closely following the traditional Lancashire border, but with a range of vowels involved ([aɹː], [æɹː], [əɹː]); therefore, the maps are less clear. The same is true for hare (square) with [əɹː] and [ɛəɹ] variants.

  2. 2.

    A reviewer notes that a feature such as rhoticity might have undergone a general decline simultaneously across the southwest outside of certain centres; Piercy’s (2006) study of rhoticity in Dorset certainly seems compatible with this view, showing a very rapid decline in production of coda /r/ by younger speakers compared to older speakers.

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Acknowledgements

Map data from this chapter was drawn with outlines from http://www.d-maps.com/carte.php?num_car=2555&lang=en.

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  1. University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

    William Barras

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  1. William Barras
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  1. School of Arts & Humanities, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Natalie Braber

  2. Department of English and American Studies, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany

    Sandra Jansen

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Barras, W. (2018). Residual Rhoticity and Emergent r-sandhi in the North West and South West of England: Different Approaches to Hiatus-Resolution?. In: Braber, N., Jansen, S. (eds) Sociolinguistics in England. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56288-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56288-3_14

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-56288-3

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