The adaptation of English coronals into Indian languages: A perception-based OT account

Abstract

This paper formalizes the different adaptations of the English coronal segments /t, d, n, l, T, ›/ into Indo-Aryan languages. This is done by assuming that the same cue constraints that are used in native perception also apply in loanword adaptation/second-language acquisition. First, the adaptation of English dental stops as retroflex are explained with a higher-ranking of burst-related cues compared to formant transitions. Second, in order to account for the mapping of the English two-way laryngeal contrast onto the typical Indo-Aryan four-way laryngeal contrast, cue constraints regarding prevoicing, aspiration, pitch and burst amplitude are all assumed to be unranked. The formalization provided in this paper has important implications for future perception experiments, mainly a greater importance of burst-related cues than formant transitions in the perception of the native dental-retroflex contrast.