Visible and hidden cross-linguistic interferences in the Catarroja vowel system

Abstract

The vowel system of a language can be modified under the influence of another language. When dealing with this influence, sociophonetic studies usually focus on the changes in the phonemic inventory, either by adding or eliminating units. In addition to this type of clearly noticeable change, other less noticeable changes are observed which do not alter the number of phonemes but affect the overall form of the system. In this study, we first present the traditional patterns of variation between the stressed and unstressed positions in the Catalan vowel system, which serve to maintain an equal distance between contiguous peripheral vowels as regards their degree of aperture. Secondly, we show that in some Valencian urban areas which are strongly influenced by Spanish, the contact with this language is causing, in some speakers, the disappearance of the distinction between open- and closed-mid vowels and, in a more generalized way, the attenuation of height changes in the low vowel tending to maintain an equal distance between the units of the system.

Keywords: language change, dispersion, cross-linguistic interference, vowel systems, sociophonetics, Spanish, Catalan.