Table 1.
Acoustic measures selected for comparison between dialect groups
| Word | Segment | Measurement | Acoustic-phonetic property |
|---|---|---|---|
| dark | /a/ | F3 midpoint–F3 offset | r-fulness |
| wash | /a/ | F3 midpoint | vowel brightness |
| greasy | /s/ | proportion of fricative that is voiced | fricative voicing |
| ratio of fricative duration to word duration | fricative duration | ||
| suit | /u/ | maximum F2 in ‘year’–F2 midpoint | /u/ backness |
| don’t | /oʊ/ | maximum F2 in ‘year’–F2 midpoint | /oʊ/ backness |
| F2 midpoint–F2 offset | /oʊ/ diphthongization | ||
| rag | /æ/ | maximum F2 in ‘year’–F2 midpoint | /æ/ backness |
| F2 offset–F2 onset | /æ/ diphthongization | ||
| like | /aɪ/ | F2 offset–F2 midpoint | /aɪ/ diphthongization |
| oily | /oɪ/ | F2 offset–F2 midpoint | /oɪ/ diphthongization |