Variation in the BATH lexical set in a rural British variety: Using perceptions to understand production
This paper presents a study in two parts: first, a real time speech perception experiment identifies the lengthened and fronted BATH vowel as one of the most salient features of Cornish English (a variety in the South-West of England), and second, an acoustic analysis of BATH variation amongst early adolescent speakers of the same variety. It finds that the duration of the traditional variant may be linked to rurality, while the fronted quality is less stigmatized. As a result, an innovative, short, fronted BATH vowel has arisen in the region.
Overall, this demonstrates how different acoustic elements of a variable may carry subtly different meanings, and how speakers may use these creatively to project desired social traits. Additionally, this paper shows how rural adolescents have not simply succumbed to the effects of standardization; just like their urban counterparts, they are innovative in their language use.
