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Speech Rhythm in Varieties of English pp 203–216Cite as

Conclusion and Outlook

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Part of the book series: Prosody, Phonology and Phonetics ((PRPHPH))

Abstract

This chapter summarises the results of the study, focussing on which features of the phonology of Indian English contribute to its syllable-timed rhythm (compared to British English) while also considering the smaller number of features that do not contribute to rhythmic differences between the two varieties. The discussion then turns to a systematic overview of educated Indian English phonology, integrating the results of the present study with those based on previous research. Furthermore, implications for the future development of Indian English, for the study of the phonology of varieties of English, and suggestions for future research on the phonology of Indian English are pointed out. It is hoped that the multidimensional approach to the study of speech rhythm will contribute to future research on the speech rhythm of varieties of English and other languages. In addition, future research on speech rhythm should not neglect the perception of speech rhythm but attribute equal importance to both production and perception. More generally, research on the phonology of varieties of English would benefit from perceptual evidence in order to determine which of the production differences found between these varieties play any role in dialect recognition and discrimination.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For a study using stimuli with manipulated vowel formant frequencies to investigate vowel quality as an ethnic marker in AmE , see Graff et al. (1986).

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  1. University of Münster, Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Robert Fuchs

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Fuchs, R. (2016). Conclusion and Outlook. In: Speech Rhythm in Varieties of English. Prosody, Phonology and Phonetics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47818-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47818-9_8

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