Consonant cluster reduction - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Consonant cluster reduction among Sgaw Karen refugees in North Carolina: A preliminary

study of association with following phonetic environment, morphemic makeup

Consonant cluster reduction (CCR) is a frequently analyzed pattern of English, occurring in

every variety and varying notably with linguistic and social factors. CCR occurs when speakers

do not produce one or more consonants in a word-final cluster. Over the decades, scholars have

noted several points by which CCR patterns indicate social situation, as well as functional

linguistic differences, between varieties. Two of these - following phonetic environment and

clusters? morphemic makeup - form the foci of this study. This study is a preliminary analysis of

CCR in a subset of 9 participants from a study of Sgaw Karen-speakers in Chapel Hill and

Carrboro, NC, filling a gap in the literature about refugees¡¯CCR. No association was found

between CCR and either following phonetic environment or clusters??? morphemic makeup

(p=.36, .59), data most closely resembling creolized English varieties???. Further research could

show whether length of residency and age of resettlement impact rates of CCR among refugees.

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