A data-driven assessment of harmony in Quebec French [e] and [ε]

Abstract

This study is concerned with the aperture of the mid vowel /E/ in nonfinal syllables in Quebec French. The hypothesis tested is that in underived disyllabic words, the aperture of /E/ would be determined via harmony with the following vowel. Based on predictions from a classifier trained on acoustic properties of word-final vowels, nonfinal vowels were labeled as mid-close or mid-open. Although distant coarticulatory effects were observed, the harmony hypothesis was not supported. The results revealed a bias toward a mid-open quality and a reduced acoustic distinction, which warrant further investigation.