Pronunciation of English ⟨ng⟩
History and description of |
English pronunciation |
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General development |
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In English, the
NG-coalescence
In Old English and Middle English, any ng sequence stood for two sounds: the velar nasal [
G-dropping
G-dropping in English is a
G-dropping is most frequently observed in present participles, whose -ing suffix meets the criteria for the variation. For example, with G-dropping, the word singing may be pronounced as [ˈsɪŋɪn], [ˈsɪŋɨ̞n] or [ˈsɪŋən], and spelled as singin' to emphasize that the g has been "dropped". According to phonetician John C. Wells, "it is safe... to make the generalization" that G-dropping exists in all communities where there is an English-speaking working class, the only exception being in South Africa, where the working class does not have English as a first language.[2] G-dropping can be popularly seen in pop culture, music, movies, many Southern states in the United States, as well as African American English.[3]
History
G-dropping is a linguistic phenomenon that has been studied by
Linguistic phenomenon
When "dropping a g", the speaker turns the /ɪŋ/ sequence to [ɪn], as in taking [ˈteɪkɪn]. In dialects with the
However, /ɪŋ/ is also realized as [in] when the raising of /ɪ/ to [i] before the underlying /ŋ/ (found in various dialects of North American English) is applied even after the "g" is dropped, leading to a variant pronunciation [ˈteɪkin] by speakers from not just California but also from other Western states, Midwestern areas including the Upper Midwest[9][10] and even Canada.[11] Speakers who use the [in] variant use it only for the underlying /ɪŋ/, which makes taking with a dropped "g" no longer homophonous with taken. This pronunciation is otherwise incorrect and was described as a "corruption of the language" to listeners.[12] A reverse phenomenon has been reported to occur in New Zealand English, in which even the stressed instances of the KIT vowel are central [ə] (with the height being somewhat variable) that is not distinct from the schwa phoneme /ə/ (hence the stereotypical NZE pronunciation of "fish and chips" as /ˌfəʃ ən ˈtʃəps/, sounding like "fush and chups" to Australians). However, the typical allophone before any phonetic velar nasal (stressed or otherwise) is [ɪ], as in other dialects. When the G is dropped, the behavior mirrors the General American pattern ([ˈtæɪkən] etc.)[13]
Monosyllabic words that have a stressed "-ing" ending like sing or king are not affected by G-dropping. When writing, an apostrophe can be used in place of the ⟨g⟩ to indicate it has been dropped.[14]
There are some syntactic restraints on g-dropping as well. Most commonly, the feature will be found mostly with progressives and particles, and not as commonly in adjectives.[6]
Modern usage
Demographics
A study from the 1950s previously mentioned[clarification needed] showed that southern areas of the US are more likely to use "g-dropping", with young men being the higher demographic.[6] Many in North America associate this linguistic feature with lower class societies.[6] This has been reinforced by pop culture references where the less educated characters were more likely to be seen dropping the "g", for example in Uncle Tom's Cabin.[15]
As previously said, G-dropping is more prevalent in some southern areas of the United States; and we can see a clear example in Appalachian English.[16] A foundational study by Wolfram and Christian's Appalachian Speech which analyzed counties in West Virginia found that the dropping of "g" was clearly more predominant than in other parts of the country.[16]
This linguistic feature can also be seen in African-American English. A study showed that African-American English speakers drop the "G" 54% of the time, and the proportion is even higher for those in the working class.[16]
Popular culture
Music
Although G-dropping has been heavily stigmatized in some dialects, it is not perceived as abnormal when sung and occurs commonly in popular music.[3] Both the sound change and spelling are used for example Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind employs ⟨n'⟩ to explicitly indicate g-dropping.[3]
In African American Vernacular English, the phonological action of g-dropping is seen as commonplace in the language, so much so that this trait bleeds into other facets of the culture such as music. Arguably, the genre of hip-hop has been most influential on young African American urban communities.[17] There are several linguistic aspects to be studied, and "g-dropping" happens to be amongst them when in songs, words like "something" or "thumping" are pronounced as [ˈsʌmθɨ̞n] and [ˈθʌmpɨ̞n].[17]
Movies
G-dropping can be heard in various types of Canadian media, especially their movies. G-dropping can be heard in the 1970 Canadian movie Goin' Down the Road. The film follows two boys who travel from an impoverished, rural area to Toronto in search of fame. The G-dropping is used to emphasize the socio-economic position of the two main characters; G-dropping is common in the working class of Cape Breton Island.[18]
Changes affecting the -thing suffix
In Cockney, the -thing suffix, often affected by the G-dropping like -ing, can be pronounced with a voiceless [k] instead. This yields [ˈnʌfɪŋk] for "nothing". This [k] can be preglottalized ([ˈnʌfɪŋʔk]) just like the underlying voiceless stops in "think", "limp" and "tint": [fɪŋʔk, lɪmʔp, tɪnʔt]. However, the nasal is frequently lost in all of these cases, being realized instead as a mere nasalization of the preceding vowel: [ˈnʌfɪ̃ʔk] etc. The [k] can disappear too, leaving a mere glottal stop behind: [ˈnʌfɪ̃ʔ], just like /p/ and /t/ in the same environment. John C. Wells states these realizations of -thing are best analyzed as /θɪŋk/.[19]
References
- ISBN 0-52129719-2.
- ISBN 0-52129719-2.
- ^ S2CID 104339717, retrieved 2022-02-18
- ISBN 978-0-08-044854-1.
- ISBN 0-52129719-2.
- ^ S2CID 17085784.
- ISBN 0-52128540-2.
- ISBN 9781444183092
- ISBN 0618043624.
Another pronunciation even more widely heard among older teens and adults in California and throughout the West is 'een' for -ing, as in 'I'm think-een of go-een camp-een.'
- ISBN 9780979689505.
Regional Accents ... A distinguishing characteristic of the Upper Midwestern accent is the tendency to turn the 'ing' sound into 'een,' with a cheerful 'Good morneen!'
- ^ Walker, James A. (2019). "Sociophonetics at the intersection of variable processes: Variable in English (ING)" (PDF). In Sasha Calhoun; Paola Escudero; Marija Tabain; Paul Warren (eds.). Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Melbourne, Australia 2019. Canberra: Australasian Speech Science and Technology Association Inc. pp. 34–37.
- ^ "NOT EVEN NETWORK STARS PRONOUNCE WORDS CORRECTLY". Orlando Sentinel. November 7, 1990.
- ISBN 3-11-017532-0
- ^ "Automatic detection of "g-dropping" in American English using forced alignment". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- S2CID 146903002.
- ^ ISSN 0003-1283.
- ^ ISBN 9789027248855.
- ISSN 1929-5855.
- ISBN 0-52128540-2.