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Post-Vocalic /r/ in Singapore English
Abstract
A study investigated the distribution of post-vocalic /r/ in Singapore English as it may relate to social factors, particularly whether usage appears to be perceived as a prestige feature by those who use it. Informants were 21 subjects from various social backgrounds. Three speech styles representing a range of stylistic variation were elicited: subjects were interviewed, read a passage aloud, and read a word list. Frequency of post-vocalic /r/ use in each speech style was calculated, and subjects were ranked by frequency. The effects of other variables (age, gender, peer group influence, self-consciousness) and the phenomenon of hypercorrection were also examined. It is concluded that (r) is a sociolinguistic variable in this group, with post-vocalic /r/ seen as a prestige feature for some speakers. A sound change may also be occurring, with increased frequency of general usage predicted. The reading passage, word list, and data on individual usage patterns are appended. A 14-item bibliography is included. (MSE)
... SgE has traditionally been described a non-rhotic variety, owing to Singapore' s colonial experience under the British (Low & Brown, 2005). However, even in the past, it was not uncommon to hear rhoticity and other features of AmE on commercial FM radio broadcasts and advertisements, even though it was rarely heard in everyday conversations among Singaporeans (Tan & Gupta 1992). Low and Brown (2005) pointed out that Singaporeans with rhotic accents could be seen as "putting on airs" . ...
... SgE has conventionally been described as a non-rhotic variety (Deterding, 2007;Low & Brown, 2005). However, since the early 1990s, more and more specialists have reported that some Singaporeans, especially younger ones, are starting to exhibit rhoticity in certain contexts (Gupta & Tan, 1992;Poedjosoedarmo, 2000;Tan, 2016;2011). Non-rhotic accents are the ones in which the /r/ is pronounced only if it is followed by a vowel, such as in run /rʌn/, but not when it is at the end of a word as in car /kɑː/, or before a consonant as in cart /kɑːt/. ...
This study seeks to examine how the Americanization of the phonology of Singapore
English (SgE), which has conventionally been described as a non-rhotic variety, is manifested by presenters of talk radio programs in Singapore. An auditory analysis of recordings of radio programs on two stations and their six presenters was conducted. The study found that semirhotic radio presenters used American phonological features, such as rhoticity, in situations that required a high degree of accuracy. This shows that the prestige model of SgE is shifting from the traditional Received Pronunciation (RP) based model toward a more General American (GA) oriented one, and that American-influenced features are no longer considered undesirable or sloppy. The study also found, on the other hand, that radio presenters utilized RP-like non-rhoticity in situations that required a high degree of formality. This shows that non-rhoticity still retains its traditional prestige.
Keywords: Americanization, phonology, Singapore English, rhoticity
... However, research conducted in this field during the past thirty years indicates that there has been a certain tendency towards rhoticity. Hiang and Gupta (1992) recorded 21 Singaporean speakers from diverse social backgrounds in three speech styles (interview, read passage, read word-list). Higher usage of post-vocalic /r/ correlated with more formal styles, lower age, female sex and identification with a peer group. ...
This edited book presents and discusses theoretical, practical, and research developments in English pronunciation in order to establish evidence-based directions and recommendations for best practices in English speech assessment, research, and training. It features leading pronunciation experts from diverse contexts who share cutting-edge research and valuable insights. The collection consists of six parts. Part 1 introduces the aims, focus, and structure of the book, and describes its intended audience. Part 2 reviews, provides empirical evidence, and offers critical analyses guiding different aspects of English speech assessment. Parts 3 and 4 report empirical findings and research perspectives on the perception and production of English speech. Part 5 shares current practices in phonetic training and their effect on learners and listeners. Part 6 presents theoretical perspectives on the acquisition of phonology in multilinguals.
... Trudgill and Hannah (1994, p135) argue that SCE is "generally non-rhotic", denoting a characteristic of British RP, in which /r/ is only articulated prevocalically. Conversely, Tan and Gupta's (1992) discover the tendency for the SCE speakers to use non-prevocalic /r/ in close connection with formality and age. Tan (2012) adds that education and socioeconomic status could also be linked to the speaker's use of /r/. ...
This paper aims to highlight the hybrid structure of SCE by illustrating how some specific features of this variety differ from those of more standard conventions. To provide an in-depth analysis of these features, it is essential to note Gupta’s notion about SCE as a product of intense language contact between Standard English and local varieties of Malay and Chinese (1992). After examining the main elements of SCE, an assessment will be provided concerning the value of SCE from a sociolinguistic point of view in terms of language attitudes.
... Phonological features of English in Singapore (EIS) has long been a topic of interest for linguistics scholars. A multitude of research has been done, focusing on a range of different areas -studies in the early days report initial observations based on impressionistic descriptions [11] while later studies placed attention on carrying out phonetic investigations in order to offer more detailed insights and empirical evidence to phonological patterns and perceptual observations [2] [6]. Given Singapore's innate multilingual and multicultural nature, research in the field also naturally geared towards discussing the formulations of theoretical models [1][3][4] [7][8] to account for the types of variation in EIS. ...
Online ESL teaching has become a platform for Filipino teachers to have a chance to teach international students at the comfort of their homes. Aside from being adept on the use of online applications used in online lessons, online tutors are expected to apply effective teaching strategies to help students improve their communicative skills. Given the fast-growing industry of online teaching in the Philippines, there are more than 10,000 Filipinos working for internet-based teaching sites (Lijuan, 2019). Several studies have focused on the teaching pedagogies used in the formal classroom (Jones, 2003; San Jose & Galang, 2015; Villena & de Mesa, 2015) but there is a dearth of studies showing how online ESL tutors do their teachings online and what strategies they usually employ in their lessons. This paper attempts to describe the best practices commonly used by online ESL tutors in the teaching of oral communication to young learners anchored on Rosenshine’s (2012) principles of effective instructions and Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) seven principles of good practice. A total of 10 recorded actual online lessons will be content analyzed to determine the teaching strategies of online tutors and how they use them in their sessions in the virtual classroom. The findings in this study would provide insights on the best practices as well as points for improvement of the online tutors of English. Implications to teachers of English can also be drawn from this study.
This Element provides readers with a detailed overview of the social factors that affect second language (L2) phonology acquisition and use. Through a state-of-the art synthesis of the relevant literature, this Element addresses the following questions: What do we mean by social factors? Which social factors have been investigated in research on L2 phonological acquisition and use? How and why do social factors affect L2 phonological acquisition (production and perception) and use? What are the implications of the social factor findings for teaching L2 pronunciation? The Element answers these questions through a synthesis of key findings in research on social factors and L2 phonology. Conclusions and implications for teaching, as well as key readings and references, follow the research synthesis.
Native English varieties differ greatly in the realization and distribution of the rhotic phoneme /r/. In rhotic accents, etymological /r/ is realized in all positions (rail, far, barn), whereas in non-rhotic accents its occurrence is restricted to pre-vocalic positions (rail) within the word. Rhoticity is one of the most salient features of English accents, and it is therefore crucial for learners of English to resolve the issue of (non)rhoticity in their L2 English production. Our main research question concerns the consistency of the speakers: If they aim for a (non-)rhotic accent, to what degree is their spoken production (non)-rhotic? We surveyed the pronunciation of 24 Czech learners of English, differing in the level of proficiency and in the preferred pronunciation model (rhotic vs. non-rhotic). The results of an auditory analysis confirmed a persistent presence of /r/ in all positions for less proficient speakers, whereas advanced learners demonstrated a lower degree of consistency and an inclination to the preferred accent model. However, although group results may suggest inconsistent treatment of rhoticity, the production of /r/ was in fact very consistent at the individual level, often attributable to background information from the participants. Pedagogical implications are discussed.KeywordsRhoticityCzech EnglishForeign accentAccent variation
The 'third wave' of variation study, spearheaded by the sociolinguist Penelope Eckert, places its focus on social meaning, or the inferences that can be drawn about speakers based on how they talk. While social meaning has always been a concern of modern sociolinguistics, its aims and assumptions have not been explicitly spelled out until now. This pioneering book provides a comprehensive overview of the central tenets of variation study, examining several components of dialects, and considering language use in a wide variety of cultural and linguistic contexts. Each chapter, written by a leader in the field, posits a unique theoretical claim about social meaning and presents new empirical data to shed light on the topic at hand. The volume makes a case for why attending to social meaning is vital to the study of variation while also providing a foundation from which variationists can productively engage with social meaning.
Amongst the variety of /r/ allophones is a labialised variant commonly described as the labiodental approximant [ʋ]. This seems, in recent times, to have become quite a common variant for young British English speech and is ‘established as an acceptable feature of mature speech in non-standard accents in the south-east of England’. Deterding and Kwek have also reported the existence of the labiodental approximant [ʋ] in the speech of some young speakers of Singapore English, presenting preliminary impressionistic findings of its existence and attitudes of Singaporeans towards its use. This article further substantiates these previous claims by providing acoustic evidence that the labiodental approximant [ʋ] is indeed present in Singapore English and that it can be differentiated from the more common post-alveolar approximant [ɹ] by comparing the nadir values of their third formants as well as the calculations of third formant rises towards the onset of following vowels. The article also provides further empirical evidence of the phonological environments that condition the realisation of this variant and also of its users. At its core, this article sets the foundations for further phonetic and phonological studies of /r/ variants in Singapore English.
Singapore's multiethnic population has historically been found to differ in their use of a range of English features. As English continues to eclipse the country's other languages, it gains potential as a site for the performance of ethnic identity. At the same time, English‐dominant Singaporeans may be less likely to use features perceived as resulting from non‐native transfer. Integration policies and transnational migration have also arguably reduced the salience of ethnicity in the local sociolinguistic landscape. This study investigates a feature linked to Indian identity, tapped and trilled prevocalic /r/, in the speech of 30 Tamil Singaporeans. A significant change in apparent time is observed, with younger speakers using almost entirely approximant /r/. Variation in /r/ also correlates with home language, cultural context, and phonological environment. We argue that, while non‐approximant /r/ is becoming rarer among Tamil Singaporeans, it continues to serve as a means of indexing Indianness.
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