A Comparative Acoustic Analysis of /eɪ/, /aɪ/, and /ɔɪ/ Closing Diphthongs in Saraiki Learners of English: The Influence of Age and Rate of Change (ROC)

Abstract

This study investigates the acoustic properties of three closing diphthongs (/eɪ/, /aɪ/, and /ɔɪ/) produced by Saraiki learners of English, focusing on the influence of age and the Rate of Change (ROC). Ten participants, who speak Saraiki, and are represented by three age groups (15-20, 21-25, 26-30) were requested to read out target words with target diphthongs in the context of a word list and carrier phrase. PRAAT software was used to analyse the formant frequencies (F1 and F2) and ROC to detect the changes in glide presence, duration and transition rates among the different age groups. The results demonstrate that age is an influential factor in the articulation of diphthongs, and younger speakers have indicated a stronger glide and greater ROC values. Older speakers, in their turn, tend to monophthongise some diphthongs, with lower ROC and lesser glide. The work gives some insights on the phonological differences between age in learning a second language and has its part in the study of L1-L2 interactions.