• The Conference
  • Home
  • Programme
  • Venue & directions
  • Organizing Committee
  • Scientific Committee
  • Exhibitors & sponsors
  • Satellite events
  • Conference Party
• Past & future
  • Previous symposia
  • Finland 2014
  • Spain 2016
• About FU Berlin
  • University homepage
  • Humanities at FU

Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 1337

Part of Session 155: Changing linguistic norms in the audiovisual media (Other abstracts in this session)

Vowel variation across the lifespan of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Beatrix and Dagmar Berghoff

Authors: Knothe, Benina
Submitted by: Knothe, Benina (WWU Münster, Germany)

Vowels have frequently been subject to phonetic as well as phonological research. Apart from playing an important role in dialectal variation, they frequently undergo diachronic change. Germanic languages such as English, Dutch and German have all been affected by vowel shifts which include diphthongization, monophthongization and/or vowel reduction into schwa. However, cross-linguistic comparisons of diachronic changes concerning vowels – especially the lowering of them – are missing.
Most research describing sound change employs the apparent-time method, and focuses on variation within communities (cf. Labov 1994 & 2001; Trudgill 1974). The question whether individual speakers change their pronunciation over time is thereby typically neglected. While, among others, Sankoff & Blondeau (2007) provide some justification for this, I will argue that it is desirable that apparent-time data are supplemented with longitudinal studies. As an example, I will discuss the English of Queen Elizabeth II (cf. Harrington 2006&2007) as well as the Dutch of Queen Beatrix (cf. van Oostendorp 2008), which are known to have changed gradually over the years. I will then relate these data to the pronunciation of the German newscaster Dagmar Berghoff.
Regular audio recordings over a period of 25 to 50 years will be the means of a lifespan study of the three speakers. As part of the research I will compare the formant frequencies diachronically both with the data of the same speaker as well as with the other two speakers. Naturally the three speakers are difficult to compare with respect to their different social rank and personal background. In addition, at first glance, three individual speakers are not likely to attest for a sound shift of a whole community. However, I will argue that the three speakers have an impact on the pronunciation of a larger group of people by their prestigious status as well as by their dominance in the media landscape.
The aim of my research is to investigate whether the three reputable speakers of standard pronunciation have rather diverged or converged cross-linguistically. In the talk I will firstly correlate the English and the Dutch data that have already been allocated in prior studies with the data of the German speaker. Secondly I aim to present arguments of why the study of these three individual speakers is relevant with respect to a wider community.

References
Harrington, J. (2006): “An acoustic analysis of ‘happy-tensing’ in the Queen’s Christmas broadcasts”. In: Journal of Phonetics, 34, 439–457.
Harrington, J. (2007). “Evidence for a relationship between synchronic variability and diachronic change in the Queen’s annual Christmas broadcasts”. In: J. Cole and J. Hualde (eds.): Laboratory Phonology 9. Mouton: Berlin, 125-143.
Labov, W. (1994): Principles of linguistic change. Vol. 1: Internal factors. Oxford: Blackwell.
Labov, W. (2001): Principles of linguistic change. Vol. 2: Social factors. Oxford: Blackwell.
Oostendorp, M. van (2008): “Hoe de slot-r verdween uit het Nederlands”. In: Onze Taal, 2008, 2/3, 53-55.
Sankoff, G. & H. Blondeau (2007): “Language Change across the Lifespan: /r/ in Montreal French” In: Language 83, 3: 560-88.
Trudgill, P. (1974): The social differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.