Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German

Given the importance of pronunciation in effective communication, this study investigates Swiss German speakers’ realisation of the English STRUT vowel. Anecdotally, such speakers use this sound more as an open-back vowel. The present study examined 54 students from two different school backgrounds...

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Main Authors: Christine Gräppi, Carina Steiner, Adrian Leemann
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Bern Open Publishing 2025-08-01
Series:Linguistik Online
Online Access:https://bop.unibe.ch/linguistik-online/article/view/12522
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author Christine Gräppi
Carina Steiner
Adrian Leemann
author_facet Christine Gräppi
Carina Steiner
Adrian Leemann
author_sort Christine Gräppi
collection DOAJ
description Given the importance of pronunciation in effective communication, this study investigates Swiss German speakers’ realisation of the English STRUT vowel. Anecdotally, such speakers use this sound more as an open-back vowel. The present study examined 54 students from two different school backgrounds reading out loud. The study involved a comparison of the students' vowel production with the standard British reference vowels as presented in school textbooks. The findings revealed that male Swiss German speakers produced the STRUT vowel closer to the target than their female counterparts. These results are surprising given that previous research indicated females attain more target-like articulations. In addition, the two school types present a significant effect on the target pronunciation.
format Article
id doaj-art-2cd0392d549e4ccc85d871ecc69782d3
institution Kabale University
issn 1615-3014
language deu
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Bern Open Publishing
record_format Article
series Linguistik Online
spelling doaj-art-2cd0392d549e4ccc85d871ecc69782d32025-08-20T04:01:48ZdeuBern Open PublishingLinguistik Online1615-30142025-08-01137510.13092/8r1v7v73Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss GermanChristine GräppiCarina SteinerAdrian Leemann Given the importance of pronunciation in effective communication, this study investigates Swiss German speakers’ realisation of the English STRUT vowel. Anecdotally, such speakers use this sound more as an open-back vowel. The present study examined 54 students from two different school backgrounds reading out loud. The study involved a comparison of the students' vowel production with the standard British reference vowels as presented in school textbooks. The findings revealed that male Swiss German speakers produced the STRUT vowel closer to the target than their female counterparts. These results are surprising given that previous research indicated females attain more target-like articulations. In addition, the two school types present a significant effect on the target pronunciation. https://bop.unibe.ch/linguistik-online/article/view/12522
spellingShingle Christine Gräppi
Carina Steiner
Adrian Leemann
Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German
Linguistik Online
title Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German
title_full Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German
title_fullStr Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German
title_full_unstemmed Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German
title_short Articulation of the STRUT vowel in L2 English speakers of Swiss German
title_sort articulation of the strut vowel in l2 english speakers of swiss german
url https://bop.unibe.ch/linguistik-online/article/view/12522
work_keys_str_mv AT christinegrappi articulationofthestrutvowelinl2englishspeakersofswissgerman
AT carinasteiner articulationofthestrutvowelinl2englishspeakersofswissgerman
AT adrianleemann articulationofthestrutvowelinl2englishspeakersofswissgerman