Abstract
Ever since Fry (1958) ranked the acoustic correlates of lexical stress as F0 > Duration > Intensity, a controversy has ensued. Some replication studies have agreed with Fry’s ranking, but others have not. It is quite possible that the divergent rankings of correlates may have something to do with dialect variation among the participants in various studies. The evidence for this claim comes from an in-depth study of Author 2’s pronunciation of 14 disyllabic words produced in running speech. Her ranking of the acoustic correlates of lexical stress as F0 > Duration > Intensity agrees with Fry but stands in contrast with the ranking of most her classmates who speak an Inland North Minnesota dialect that is different from hers. The investigation also shows that lexical stress rules are not as binding as formerly believed. Author 2’s pronunciations agreed with dictionary transcriptions 71.43% of the time. However, in the remaining 28.57% of instances, she produced some words with an iambic stress pattern even though dictionary transcriptions prescribe a trochaic stress.
Recommended Citation
Koffi, Ettien and Dell' Acqua, Megan C.
(2023)
"DIALECT VARIATION AND LEXICAL STRESS: AN IDIOLECTAL INQUIRY,"
Linguistic Portfolios: Vol. 12, Article 5.
Available at:
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/stcloud_ling/vol12/iss1/5
