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In this presentation, we explore factors affecting and the relationship between perception and production of the alveolar-retroflex liquid contrast (l-É) in heritage Tamil speakers. In particular, we examine the connection between language and identity in the maintenance of this acoustically fragile contrast with similar spectral characteristics, shown through low perceptual salience. Tamil speakers (n = 18) completed an AX discrimination task with non-word Tamil VCVs was administered. D-prime, a bias free measure of perceptual distance, was computed from the discrimination data. Additionally, participants provided minimal pairs with the target consonants in an elicited production task. An F3-F2 (Hz) score was taken as a measure of productive salience, with alveolars having a larger difference than retroflexes. Quantitative results showed a high degree of variation in productive salience, as some speakers clearly produce the contrast while others did not. Perceptual distance was also variable, with some participants clearly showing categorical discrimination while others did not. Qualitative results revealed that a concrete ties to tangible culture and a strong linguistic identity can serve as an indicator of accuracy in perception and production. This research addresses whether acoustically fragile contrasts are realized in heritage Tamil and provides new insight into heritage phonological contrast retention and maintenance.
Muthukumarasamy et al. (Fri,) studied this question.