A Description of Hobart English Monophthongs: Vowel and Voice Quality

This study focuses on vowel variation in Mainstream Australian English, describing F1/F2 vowel spaces and voice quality produced by speakers from the capital, Hobart, of the island state of Tasmania. Vowels are analysed by comparing F1/F2 vowel spaces produced by 39 male and female speakers, divided into younger and older age groups. Voice quality is measured by acoustic analysis of H1*-H2* as well as CPP. Results for vowel quality show that vowels produced by speakers from Hobart are undergoing change at a slower pace than in other large urban areas in Australia. For voice quality, younger speakers are shown to use more creak than older speakers, and male speakers also use more creak than female speakers. For monophthongal vowel quality, the study shows congruence with other work in Australia highlighting minor variability between urban centres, as well as illustrating that geographically distant locations with smaller populations have slower rates of change. For voice quality, the study also aligns with recent work showing less modal (and creakier) voiced vowels for younger speakers, and for male speakers. The study contributes to the small but growing body of work analysing speech produced in the island state of Tasmania, relating it to knowledge of variation and change in Mainstream Australian English more generally.