Does English have palatisation?

Guest   Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:25 am GMT
Does English have palatisation?
Travis   Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:36 am GMT
It is very common in English dialects to merge some sequences such as /tj/, /dj/, /sj/, and /zj/ into [tS], [dZ], [S], and [Z], or in some more conservative English English dialects, [c] and [J\] for /tj/ and /dj/. There are also English dialects which front /k/ before front vowels to [c], which is another sort of palatalization.

There is another type of palatalization which occurs in some North American English dialects, such as that here. What this is is the palatalization of coronals before /u/, /U/, /w/, and at least here, reduced vowels followed by /r/. This is not backing/fronting and or affrication, but actual palatal postarticulation. In the dialect here, this palatalization is supersegmental, and spreads to the entire consonant cluster where it occurs. At least here, this also occurs in certain consonant clusters such as /st/, /sp/, /sm/, /sn/, /sr/, /sl/, /sw/, /ks/, /gs/, /rs/, and /ls/ (and their counterparts with /z/ rather than /s/) also undergo such palatalization.
Travis   Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:39 am GMT
>>Not phonemically, but phonetically (in some dialects). In my dialect (Ottawa, Canada) /lj/ and /nj/ become [L] and [J] intervocalically.<<

This seems common in North American English dialects, but the dialect here is notable in *not* having such. It actually has true [M_^j] and [nj] for /lj/ and /nj/, the [M_^] in the former being due to the typical l-vocalization here.

>>Coronals can also be palatized before /u:/ here.<<

You've got that too over where you live. This seems relatively common in North American English dialects, but I have seen no documentation of it, much the less its actual extent.
Travis   Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:41 am GMT
>>postarticulation<< should be "coarticulation" above.
Guest   Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:37 am GMT
What examples of words that are sometimes palatised?
Travis   Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:16 am GMT
My dialect also has some other sorts of examples here such as:

street /strit/ ["S_jtS_jr\_-_ji?]
snail /snel/ ["S_jn_je:M_^]
false /fQls/ ["fQ:M_^s_j]
bags /bE{gz/ ["bE_^{:k_js_j]
Travis   Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:18 am GMT
Whoops, I meant ["s_jn_je:M_^] for "snail" above.
Travis   Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:20 am GMT
Oh, that should also be ["fQU_^s_j] for "false".