Phonological variation in speaker identification

Abstract

Phonological analysis is divided into regional and social dialect/standard variation and into the remaining phonological variation susceptible to individual variation. After a short description of the social and regional standard/dialect variation it will be argued that from the specific standard/dialect variation it is possible to determine geographical origins of the speaker in question, his or her social status, and regional and social mobility. The specific articulation of diphthongs and the process of monophthongization of these diphthongs serve to demonstrate this phenomenon. Phonological analysis is placed within the framework of Natural Phonology; it will be argued that phonological backgrounding processes are most prone to individual variation because they are less salient to both perception and production, and furthermore, they are rather resistant to both the formality of the speech situation and to voice disguise. This argument will be illustrated by two case studies.