Articulatory setting

We have seen in the sections above that northern English dialects can be differentiated from each other with regard to segmental phonology and intonation. In some cases, though, the distinctive voice of a region, is produced by the articulatory setting. The only full and accessible study of articulatory setting in a northern English dialect is Knowles’, description of what he calls the “‘Scouse voice’, the total undifferentiated characteristic sound of a Liverpudlian” (Knowles 1978: 88). This voice quality is described here and elsewhere (Hughes and Trudgill 1996: 94) as velarization. Knowles describes this in detail as follows:

In Scouse, the centre of gravity of the tongue is brought backwards and upwards, the pillars of the fauces are narrowed, the pharynx is tightened, and the larynx is displaced upwards. The lower jaw is typically held close to the upper jaw, and this position is maintained even for ‘open’ vowels. The main auditory effect of this setting is the ‘adenoidal’ quality of Scouse, which is produced even if the speaker’s nasal passages are unobstructed. (Knowles 1978: 89).

Hughes and Trudgill describe this more succinctly as “the accompaniment of other articulations by the raising of the back of the tongue towards the soft palate (as in the production of dark /l/)”. (Hughes and Trudgill 1996: 94).

Although the articulatory setting of Liverpool English is very distinctive, it would be interesting to see whether the study of articulatory setting in other northern dialects might indicate typological distinctions parallel to those found for segmental and non-segmental phonology.