Linking /r/ and linking /l/ (or [w]) in New Zealand

Like other non-rhotic varieties of English, New Zealand English has both linking and intrusive /r/, and in precisely the same environments for which these are described in RP, for example. The interesting thing is that both appear to be variable, although really thorough studies of these phenomena are just beginning. A phrase such as far off may be pronounced as any of [fɐ:ɹɒf], [fɐ:ɒf], [fɐ:əɒf], [fɐ:ʔɒf]. Self-conscious speech appears to prefer the version with [ʔ]. At the same time, however, the use of intrusive /r/ is being extended to an environment following MOUTH. A common word in which this is heard is how [ɹ] ever. It is not entirely clear why only MOUTH is affected. It might be assumed that such intrusion would take place only when MOUTH was monophthongized (and thus phonetically similar to START), but that does not seem to hold true.

Just as linking /r/ developed with the vocalization of /r/, so a linking /l/ is developing with the vocalization of /l/. A word-final /l/ followed by a word-initial vowel in the same breath-group is resyllabified, and the onset-allophone is realized. This (along with speaker intuition – probably strongly influenced by orthography) is the strongest argument for seeing the vocalized version as still being an allophone of /l/. However, there is an alternative to a linking /l/, though it is not as common: it is linking /w/. Occasional pronunciations such as [fi:wɘt] for feel it are heard alongside the expected [fi:l^ɤɘt]. Such pronunciations suggest that the vocalization is starting to be reinterpreted as a new series of vowels. So far, linking [w] does not appear to be found word-internally.