Gradient Variation and Change from Affricates to Stops in Qassimi Arabic: A Sociophonetic Study

Abstract

This sociophonetic study investigates consonantal variation in Qassimi Arabic (QA) by examining the variations between local affricates (i.e., [t͡s] and [d͡z]) and supralocal stops (i.e., [k] and [ɡ]), respectively. The study specifically explores the influence of social factors (i.e., age, gender, mobility, and local identity) on patterns of variation and change using combined auditory and acoustic analysis. It also investigates how QA speakers use the studied consonants to index various social meanings. The acoustic analysis measures fine-grained consonantal properties, including the closure duration, voice onset time (VOT), frication duration, and centre of gravity (CoG), to reveal the differences between the studied sounds while capturing the transition phase from affricates to stops in QA. The findings show that the affricate [t͡s] in stem position and the affricate [d͡z] are near the completion of change towards the stops [k] and [ɡ]. However, the affricate (t͡s) in the suffix undergoes a sound change in progress while remaining at an early stage. These changes are primarily led by female, middle-aged, high-mobility, and supralocally oriented speakers. Moreover, speech style influences sound variation, with careful speech encouraging the use of the affricate [t͡s] and the stop [ɡ]. Furthermore, the acoustic analysis shows that voicing, the manner of articulation, and social differentiations are statistically significant in influencing the acoustic properties of different sounds. Gender significantly influences the closure duration, VOT, and CoG. Age also influences VOT and CoG. However, micro-social factors (i.e., mobility and local identity) only influence CoG. Beyond providing evidence for differences between various linguistic and social factors when producing affricates and stops, the acoustic analysis reveals that the affricates progressively approximate the CoG values of the stops before fully transitioning into them. Hence, the change from affricates to stops in QA is gradual and follows a merger-by-transfer mechanism. This research, which extends Arabic sociophonetic studies beyond auditory analysis, contributes to our understanding of consonantal variation and change, particularly in contexts such as Saudi Arabia, where socioeconomic landscapes are transforming.