ICPhS XVII Regular Session Hong Kong, 17-21 August 2011 ANALYZING THE STATUS OF CATALAN SCHWA IN BARCELONA Susana Cortés , Conxita Lleó & Ariadna Benet Research Centre on Multilingualism, University of Hamburg, Germany
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[email protected] ABSTRACT underlying schwa phoneme (the latter author points out that this schwa has the following This paper analyzes the production of Catalan distinctive features: [medial central-labial]). schwa by children and adults in two areas of Another approach is that of van Oostendorp's Barcelona differing in degree of presence of Projection Theory [9], based on metrical Spanish (which does not have schwa in its sound phonology. According to him, schwa is a defective inventory). The schwa production in different vowel, with unspecified distinctive features, kinds of words or in different positions in the word suitably fitting in weak and in extrametrical provides evidence for the status of this vowel. positions. Keywords: schwa, production, bilingualism, These theories, together with certain Catalan, phonological status assumptions about sound change, make different predictions about the substitution or maintenance 1. INTRODUCTION of schwa: For the last forty years, it has been observed that a) If non-alternating schwas are maintained the usage of schwa in Catalan is decreasing (Lóp ez more often than alternating schwas, this would del Castillo [7], Veny [13], Payrató [10], Pla argue for the phonological character of non- Fulquet [11], Herrick [4]). This reduction of the alternating schwa. phonological system seems to be due to external b) Position in the word (Catalan stress system (e.g., Spanish influence) or internal factors (e.g., being basically trochaic): If schwa is kept in markedness and complexity).